Shanghai-big, bigger, huge

When I arrived in Shanghai last year the first thing I noticed was a huge Ferris wheel somewhere in PuDong. It was higher than some surrounding skyscrapers! The next thing were the confusing motorways as my driver took me from one end of Shanghai to the other. It took us two hours to reach my accommodation.

Shanghai, although huge, is not too confusing once you get used to it. However, my first day running errands there was not the easiest thing I’ve ever done! Luckily I met a Chinese guy who helped me find my way to where I had to be. After that I understood the city’s structure and it was a piece of cake (but never left the house without a map, just in case). The city has so much to offer that it’s difficult to grasp it in the short time I spent there, especially since I was working and not on holiday!

Read more…

Life in Puerto de la Cruz

I am currently living in the village of Puerto de la Cruz in Tenerife. Part of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, this fascinating village is situated on the north-west side of the island.

The village is actually a city because it has its own council, but it has a surface area of only 9 square kilometers. That makes it almost 175 times smaller than London. Even though it is very small, there is a lot to do. At least I think so!

Read more…

Spanish and surfing in Tenerife

Having worked at Apple Language Courses for over 10 years, I am more than a little embarrassed to say that my knowledge of the Spanish language is fairly limited!

Like many of our students, I studied Spanish at school (a few more years ago than I like to think!) and have taken evening classes since then, but other than that my language practice has been limited to holidays in Spain and my skills are rather rusty.

Read more…

A weekend in the Big Apple – New York, New York

New York is certainly the city that never sleeps! You should try and stay for at least one week but what can you do when you have just a small amount of time? Here I would like to give you a guide that may help you decide where to go and what to do to make the most of your time in NYC.

Read more…

Video guide to Venice, Italy

Famous, infamous, and much visited – Venice welcomes 20 million visitors every year. Many are day-trippers, but those that stay for at least one week are rewarded with new discoveries every day. Few cities have been dreamt about, discussed or resonate as much with tourists as Venice. This historic city, one of the world’s most picturesque, proudly lies on the largest island of the Venetian Lagoon. Venice has its fair share of political and environmental problems, but modern day commerce has done nothing to distract from its magic.

Read more…

Video guide to Prague, Czech Republic

You have no doubt heard that Prague is worth seeing. If you are not sure how to imagine the Czech capital then take a minute to watch this video! It also serves as a great reminder of the fascinating sights around the city. These images really succeed in capturing the beauty of Prague in a nutshell!

Read more…

Introducing Bristol

I would like to give you a small introduction to Bristol, one of my all-time favourite English cities!

To give you a little bit of background, Bristol is located alongside the River Avon in South-West England and on a good day, you can see over the Severn Estuary into Wales. With its close proximity to the coast (the English seaside is just 10 miles away), Bristol has a strong maritime heritage and the city’s industry is founded on sea trade and ship building.

Read more…

Some of our favourite language learning locations

The staff at Apple Language Courses give reasons below for some of their favourite language learning destinations!

Read more…

5 reasons to visit Alghero, Italy

Alghero in Sardinia, Italy, is famous for its beaches, clear blue seas and red coral. This medieval port town also has an interesting cultural and historic background, with Catalan origins.

It is a great location for food and nature lovers, and a beautiful setting for studying Italian! Alghero truly comes to life during the summer months.

There are so many reasons why you should visit Alghero, here are my top five…

Read more…

I lost my heart in Heidelberg…

This well-known phrase and same-titled film and song perfectly describes Heidelberg – the beautiful multicultural city in the Southwest of Germany! As a matter of fact, it’s not just partners that you can fall in love with in Heidelberg… You’ll also find yourself losing your heart to the city itself! It’s no wonder the incredibly picturesque old town attracts visitors from all over the world. Heidelberg immerses you in the German language but also surrounds you with a wide variety of other foreign languages! Sometimes you will hear English, French or Spanish on a walk through this bustling city!

Read more…