Valencia beach

I know I said I'd get a Vlog of Valencia up soon, but instead I adventured (It's hardly an adventure as it's like 5 minutes from my new flat) to the beach and took some photos. So to anyone reading this and is jealous of my crazy adventures and living life in Spain, well....

HATERS GONNA HATE

But on a slightly more light hearted note, there's nothing like wandering out into a completely new city, into the sun, with Blink 182 on the iPod, and seeing sights like these.

All I can say is, I can't wait for the summer when the beach will be packed and it'll be so warm!

An empty Valencia beach in January

Valencian sidewalk

The side walk goes on for miles

An empty Valencia beach

Bars and shops line the beach side

More of the bars and palm trees

To anyone reading this:

This is pretty much how I feel right now

It was pretty much just me on the entire beach

Valencia beach <3

And it's this beautiful in January?

Coastline

Valencia coastline

The seaaaaa

Well. that's all from me for now guys! As this is only be third day here, I'm sure I'll bring you hundreds more photos and videos of my travels. And soon, maybe you'll see these over Google images :O Watch this space guys. Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Remember to check out BlogWave! Our comedy podcast full of blogging tips and SEO optimisation:  http://blogwave.net

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Moving? Oh hell yeah.

Newflash - I move to Valencia tomorrow.

This is my face right now:

That's all for now.

Rats Out!

Remember to check out BlogWave! Our comedy podcast full of blogging tips and SEO optimisation:  http://blogwave.net
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Travelling from France to Spain

Hello audience! Just an update really as my time in France comes to an end. Today I ventured on down to the Strasbourg train station, (which by the way is an incredible building for those that haven't seen it. It's like an old church/cathedral style building, SURROUNDED by a like glass dome. Check it!) and enquired about how much/how long it would take for a train from Strasbourg to Valencia.

Strasbourg Train Station at night

Outer shell of Strasbourg train station

Furturstic, but also not at the same time. Strasbourg's train station is pro

And so it appears I'm off! This Saturday I have to travel to Paris, to take what they call a hotel train overnight to Barcelona, where I'll change and head off to Valencia.

This isn't my last post before I go, just an update on my travels.

That's it for now. Rats Out!

Remember to check out BlogWave! Our comedy podcast full of blogging tips and SEO optimisation:  http://blogwave.net
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From France to Spain / Best blogging tips

For those that have been following my travels and adventures from the start, you'll know that my time in the beautiful city of Strasbourg is only limited. I've been here since mid September, and in two weeks time I am off to the much warmer, just as beautiful city of Valencia.

And I can't wait! I'm going be studying at the university, and when I'm not, I can walk a few hundred metres or so down to the beautiful beach:

Photo of Valencia beach

I've managed to sort out a flat with an English girl who goes to my university back home, and she's been incredibly helpful with trying to find me a place. I'm off in about 2 weeks time, so in the mean time, I'm going to relax, and enjoy the rest of the stay in Strasbourg.

On a side note, those that follow BlogWave, we recorded again yesterday. Yes that's right! Episode 4 of BlogWave is on the way. This one is huge! We had our first guest come on the show and he answered the question (would like to make it plural but it was just the one, Cheers Rorschach!) that was sent in.

We've got some HUGE news on that show that as a blogger, you honestly can't afford to miss. So yeah, head on over to BlogWave! Our comedy podcast full of blogging tips and SEO optimisation:  http://blogwave.net

Rats Out!

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La Tomatina

It's just occurred to me that I may be able to take part in the world famous La Tomatina! For those of you who aren't aware, La Tomatina can only be summed up as the world's BIGGEST FOOD FIGHT. 

Now, I can imagine most of your are thinking this is going to be one of those crazy old traditions that has maybe 80-100 people and just a small table of food...WRONG.

Once in a year, in the town of Bunol, in the region of Valencia, (The University I will be studying at during the summer) tens of thousands of people descend on the small town of Bunol. Although this town only has a population of 9000, it is no surprise to see between at least 20 000 - 50 000  turn up to take part in this phenomenon.

In short, each year, on the last Wednesday of August,  tens of thousands of people gather in the streets to throw TONS of over-ripe tomatoes at each other for exactly an hour. It has been estimated that around 150 000 tomatoes, or 90 000 pounds of the food are thrown in this hour. 

The festival is a week long and consists of dancing, street parties, fire works and on the night before the fight itself, a paella cooking competition. 

Perhaps the strangest and yet most interesting fact about this famous event, is that no one is quite sure as to how it officially started. Of course there are rumours that it was simply witnessing a group of children having a food fight in the street, no one is quite sure of the official reason.

I am SO excited to think I may be able to actually participate in this! Pictures below!

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A well equipped laptop is key

Another update for you travellers out there on how to prepare not just yourself, but also your laptop before travelling. This can also apply for all you University go-ers that are heading off this week. Now, if you plan to take a form of entertainment with you, I.e A gaming console or your DVD collection then you may not find this guide as life saving, but merely as another source of entertainment.

See when most people go travelling or go off to university they automatically accept that when they arrive at their residence they will have instant internet access. However, depending on your halls/residence/hotel, it can take several days or even weeks to set up a decent internet connection.

Depending on how sociable you are or how much of internet addict you are, this may not be a problem. But if you do crave the internet and are not guaranteed a connection upon arrival, I suggest the following tips.

Project64

This was probably the biggest life saver for me. For those of you that aren't aware, Project64 is a N64 emulator. In short, it's a program available for free download that allows you to play your favourite N64 games on your laptop. The games, referred to as ROMS, can also be downloaded from a separate website.
I must have spent countless hours rejoicing my childhood moments on these games. Although the gameplay can be a little difficult to get used to at first (the fact that you laptop lacks a analog stick and you have to make  do with the direction keys), it is definately worth downloading this program.

Most games will run on just about any generic laptop, I.E you don't need to have amazing computer specs to run this program efficiently. But I do recommend you close down any programs which take up a large amount of the CPU for smoother gameplay. EG Virus scanners etc.

Project 64 can be downloaded here:

http://www.pj64-emu.com/downloads/startdown/34/

Although there are a variety of websites that boost Project64 ROMs, I prefer this site:

http://www.freeroms.com/n64.htm

The program itself is dead easy and straightforward to use. Simply download the ROM ( I suggest keeping them together on a file located on your desktop) Then open up Project64,

File > Open Rom > Find Rom

It's as simple as that. You can also change the default control (Options > Controller Plug In) to suit your gaming needs.


On another note, if you do find gameplay to tedious using your keyboard, you can buy N64 controllers with USB adapters for quite cheap online these days.

That's all I have on Project64, any questions feel free to post below.


DVDs


Now, to most of you this may seem like an obvious one, but depending on your suitcase space and dvd collection itself, you may be limited to bringing dvds upon your travels. For this, I recommend you try to find a way of ripping the DVD to your laptop. Failing that, download it. Although I do not recommend either of these methods as they are illegal, it can be down and there are plenty of guides on how to do so out there.

When I got bored of exploring Hyrule on Project64, I simply loaded up my favourite film, Memento, and an hour and a half soon flew by.


Last but not least, an obvious but often taken for granted:

Solitaire

A very simple, yet EFFECTIVE way of killing time. Not much to say about this one. Pretty much everyone know's how to play it, and it can be found by clicking Start > Games > Solitaire.




That's pretty much it from me guys. If you can think of anything I've missed then let me know! But make sure you do a bit of research before you leave guys as life without internet and be killer!
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Two VITAL cards to take

So, pretty sure I'm leaving for Strasbourg either Sunday or Monday! Excitement is kicking in.

Here's another key tip for you travellers:

Travel Ex Cards:

I mentioned these in my 'What to pack' guide. For those of you who have been abroad before I wanted to withdraw money from an ATM using your debit or credit card, you'll notice when you return home there's a nasty fee for using your card abroad. Now, most banks will promise you it's only a minimal charge in comparison to the conversion rate and all this rubbish but the truth is, if you use your card abroad, you're most likely going to be charged for it. Now, I'm going to be using my card for a year, and I don't fancy returning home to £300 of just charges.

This is where Travel Ex comes in. Basically, a Travel Ex card is a card that can be bought for however much money you would like on that account. For example, I purchased a Travel Ex card for £100.60 with £100 (155 euros worth) on it. It can be used at anyone ATM displaying the Mastercard logo and I will not be charged to withdraw my own money! As I created account with cashpassport (the site you use to sign up for the card) I can transfer funds between my regular bank and my Travel ex card whenever I want. So glad my friends informed me of this and I would STRONGLY URGE any travellers out there for an extended period of time to invest in one of these!

Can sign up here:

http://www.cashpassport.com/


Card number 2:

E111 Card.

Now, hopefully I will never have to use this card. Basically it's a European health insurance card that will mean if I do fall ill, I will be able to save a large percentage of the fees. For those of you who have fallen ill abroad before and had to purchase medicine, you'll know exactly how I feel when I detest paying such large fees for anti biotics etc. Although this card doesn't entitle free health care, it WILL cut down your medical fees buy a substantial amount.

Applying for one of these cards is easy enough. You can either pick up a E111 form from your local post office  or you can apply online here:

https://www.ehic.org.uk/Internet/home.do

NOTE: This card is only available to UK residents
NOTE: This card is completely free, but some places will try and charge you. DO NOT LET THEM CHARGE YOU 
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Tips on what to pack when studying abroad

Another post for all you travellers out there with some information on key items to take when travelling. This is going to be primarily based on first hand experience (even 5 days at Reading Festival was a huge lesson on the DO's and DONT's for what to pack!)

So I hope you guys find this useful, and even if you don't, it'll be a good reminder to myself for when I leave in the next fortnight!

Right let's crack on, and remember this is personal opinion! So if you disagree or feel I've missed something, let me know!

Documentation:

Passport and a several photocopies of said passport

Several passport sized photos (These can come in really handy)

Proof of insurance

Acceptance letter or proof of study from university (whether it's the abroad university or your home university)

Cards and licenses:

Debit card

Driving or provisional license

TRAVELEX CARD (This is so important and I'll provide a post about it soon)

Clothing:

Now, this is far more easier for boys than girls!

One pair of COMFORTABLE shoes. I can't stress this enough. Unfortunately shoes take up a lot of space in the bag so it's likely you're only going to have room for just the one pair. You're going to be doing A LOT of walking whilst abroad and I strongly recommend you choose comfortability over style. Although you don't want to look like a tramp for your travels, you're going to be on your feet the majority of the time, and being comfortable is always a bonus over fashion.

For clothing, make sure you research the weather for where you're staying. I.E Don't pack tight tee shirts if it's going to be 30 degrees Celsius! Only take the essentials. I suggest you chose darker clothes as dirt and marks don't show up as well compared to white or lighter clothing. Although you don't want to look scruffy for a year, don't take any clothing that you don't mind loosing or getting damaged.

Toiletries:

Again, this is a much easier decision for guys. I would only recommend taking a toothbrush here. Although foreign  stores may not sell your favourite brands, they will still stock types of deodorants and toothpaste etc, so I recommend buying most toiletries whilst out there.

Girls, the same is probably true for your make up. Remembering, your spending your time travelling and chances are, you're not going to look your greatest. That said, most stores will sell make up, but you may have to fork out a bit more cash if you're looking for your high market brands.

Misc:

A small torch

Plug converters

Small notepad and pen

Money Clips

Maps

Extra SD cards for your camera!

A large ruck sack (This saves taking your suitcase everywhere, allowing you to carry your essentials whilst leaving  clothes etc wherever you're staying)

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