Exploring Germany, Wolfsburg – The city of cars

The first question that comes into mind when you hear the word Wolfsburg is very often “where is that?” Located in Lower-Saxony and being home to 125,000 people, this northern German city is not what you would call a metropolis. Yet, when people hear that this is the place where one of the biggest car manufacturers – Volkswagen – is headquartered, their interest is awakened very quickly. Even though you may be a little sceptical at first, (especially with the recent VW emissions scandal!) this city is definitely worth a visit.

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15 different languages for one MARVELous creature

The importance of understanding other languages needs no explanation, but even in the most extreme fictional universe language plays an important part for all characters and therefore needs careful consideration by all the writers and producers of major films.

For the majority of Marvel’s blockbuster 2014 film Gardians of the Galaxy one of the main characters, a sentient tree-like creature called Groot has just one line: “I AM GROOT”. This simple phrase for this now popular character has since become a famous pop-culture reference.

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Lyon travel bucket list

If you are looking for a French city which can definitively compete with the lovely capital city that Paris is, I think you should opt for the beautiful and affordable – but no quality loss – Lyon!

More than simply listing the most famous monuments or places from the town, I thought about sharing my very own personal travel bucket list, with all of my favourites to help you to discover other sides of the city.

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Discovering Cusco!

If you decide to go to Peru you cannot miss a trip to the ancient capital of the Inca Empire Cusco (3,400m above sea level!), also named Qosqo in Quechua which means “the belly button of the world”.

Having my roots in this wonderful city I can’t recommend Cusco enough as a place to learn Spanish. Not only the setting in the middle of the mystical Andes is incredible but also the local people are very friendly and open to visitors.

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Who attends our language courses?

One of the things that I love most about this job is the range of people we get to speak with. This morning I spoke with a 16 year old girl who wanted to take a summer course in France, and the next phone call was from an 80 year old gentleman who wants to take an Italian Club 50+ course in the autumn! We really do offer courses suitable for everyone!

Most of our students tend to be aged 20-30 years old, but this varies from location to location and also depends on the time of year (during the summer months the average age drops slightly).

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A culinary trip to Bavaria

Not only has Bavaria got beautiful landscapes, charming cities and great beer, but also delicious food! If you want to get to know the Bavarian cuisine, there’s no better way to cook it yourself. I’ll introduce my favourite dishes to you below, that are both easy to cook and super tasty!

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Travelling to Augsburg

The only German city with its own holiday, home to the Fuggerei and the Puppenkiste, birthplace of the famous writer Bertold Brecht and Mozart’s father Leopold Mozart and one of the oldest, greenest and most liveable cities in Germany – these are just some of the fascinating facts that Augsburg has to offer.

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A short and fascinating trip to Quebec City!

Being French, I have always been fascinated by Canada and its French-speaking provinces. Travelling to Toronto last summer, I took the opportunity to visit a friend in Quebec City and see it for myself.

One of the most striking things for me and for anyone from France, I believe, was the accent. Quebeckers sound so exotic to me! It was really refreshing to hear different manners of speech and a whole lot of new idioms and even vocabulary. This lovely accent also makes them sound incredibly welcoming and friendly. Actually, that might not be the whole truth since they are genuinely welcoming and friendly people anyway!

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Studying in Valencia

Below is a guest blog from Renée about her time studying in Valencia.

Valencia is an enchanting city with lots to do, but also has a safe small-town feeling. It was one of the reasons why I decided to study there! Another reason is that they speak with the ‘real’ Spanish accent, which is great when you are practicing the language. Valencia has two universities and is very near to a beautiful sandy beach.

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An insider’s guide to the French

For a better understanding of the French, this post is a must read if you’re planning on studying French, taking a language course in France or simply stopping by the most visited country in the world!

Here are three things you should  know before meeting us ‘froggies’.

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