ifriendly tour of New Zealand & Australia - (in Spanglish)

Plan definitivo

The plan is to visit all these places, make a note of all our the amazing experiences and blog, blog, blog away!! 

Some rest and recuperation is needed after a tough 12 weeks as a freelance teacher... but I feel that 2015 is going to be even better... well, it looks like it's gonna start off well! 

Dia 2: Llegada a Auckland. Salida el mismo día y alojamiento en Hahei. Playa.

Día 3: Cathedral Cove. Hot water beach. Salimos para Cambrigde y nos quedamos allí.

Día 4: Waitomo Caves. Hobbiton. Rotorua 

Día 5: Waimangu. Wai-o-tapu thermal wonderland. Lago Taupo de camino.

Día 6: Tongariro Alpine Crossing y dormimos en el mismo sitio.

Dia 7: Ruta en coche hacia Wellington. Podemos ver el lago Taupo si no lo hemos visto antes y luego salir, o llegar a Wellington temprano y pasar el día allí. Podríamos comer en Martinborough, the “gourmet capital of the north island

Día 8: Ferry por la mañana y llegada a Abel Tasman National Park.

Día 9: En Abel Tasman National Park y dormimos en Ratanui Lodge 

Dia 10: Salir de Abel Tasman. Dormir en Hokitika pasando por Punakaiki y Greymouth 

Dia 11: Hokitika hasta el Franz Josef glacier 

Dia 12: Desde el glaciar hasta Queenstown pasando por Wanaka 

Día 13: Queenstown excursiones por allí y segunda noche

Dia 14: Salir hasta Te Anau, podemos comer allí y seguir hasta Milford Sound que son 2 horas. Crucero nocturno en Milford Sound

Día 15: Desde Milford Sound. Intentar llegar lo más cerca posible de Catlins. Pendiente de que me confirmen en Curio Bay, si no reservar otro sitio.

Día 16: Catlins- Dunedin- Península de Otago 

Dia 17: Dunedín-Monte Cook- Tekapo 

Día 18: Glentanner - Monte Cook- Lake Tecapo- Christchurch 

Dia 19: Vuelo de Christchurch a Auckland.

Dia 20: Según nos apetezca entre quedarnos por Auckland y Paihia-Cabo Reinga 

Dia 21: Volver a Auckland y vuelo hacia Melbourne.

Día 22: Great Ocean Road y dormir por el camino 

Dia 23: Volver a Melbourne 

Día 24: Vuelo a Hamilton Island y 3 noches allí 

Día 25: Playa

Día 26: Playa 

Día 27: Vuelo a Sydney 

Dia 28: Sydney (pensar si ir a las Blue Mountains).

Día 29: Sydney Opera house

Dia 30: Vuelo de vuelta.

The new wine tasting and language exchange experience...

Chato Grato and ifriendly present .... 

The very first bilingual wine tasting experience in Castilla La Mancha, Spain.

Wine tasting, catas de vino, are very popular. We love wine and La Mancha produces tonnes of the stuff and it's rather good too!

A wine tasting course or session with us, will give you the chance to learn how to really enjoy wine.  Before I learnt about wine tasting, I would order a glass with no idea what I was about to drink! One wine tasting session will change the way you drink wine forever.... Life is too short to drink bad wine! (There are no bad wines, but there will be wines you might not enjoy as much.)

Why bilingual? Well, ifriendly started out as a language exchange programme, to give everyone the opportunity to improve their language skills, whilst meeting new people in a social setting.  Thanks to Eddie, that group is still going strong in Brighton, England.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/Spanishcombination/

Now we would like to take it to the next level...

We would like to have an evening with you, where we will present 3 different wines in both Spanish and English languages.  This could appeal to both English and Spanish speakers alike... Would you like a chance to practise your English/ Spanish in a relaxed and social environment? And after a couple of glasses, I can guarantee that your language skills will improve and your confidence in a foreign language will grow.

ifriendly will be teaming up with Chatograto to give you the best experience possible... Here is Chatograto's goal...

CHATOGRATO is a project developed by and for aggrandising the figure of wine. We will try to reflect in it all the passion we have for this liquid art.

In order to help in spreading the culture of wine, oil, cheese and other delicacies of the area, and in order to bring it closer to the general public through our sommelier José Carlos Rodríguez, and the experience of other professionals, we have designed a range of courses and activities to help you to enjoy wine and many other artisan food in all its grandeur. (taken from www.chatograto.com).

We hope that you will join us!

*Our first event will be held on the 19th of December, in Ciudad Real, Spain. Location TBC.

The wine tasting experience! - C1 +

Wine Tasting and Pairing in Valdepeñas

For English classes via Skype, Contact Lisa by email lis.j.grant@gmail.com or Whatsapp 0034645424237.

Highlights from our wine tasting experience!

 On Saturday 6th of September we went along to a wine tasting event in Valdepeñas, Castilla-La-Mancha. This is one of the largest areas of Spain for producing wine... And boy! I was impressed.

For 18 € each, we were treated to 4 bottles of wine (between 4 people) and a large 'tapa' with each glass of wine. All the wines were exquisite, but we have our favourites, which we would like to share with you...

The event was hosted by Chato Grato (www.chatograto.com) and it was held at La Maquina in valdepeñas town centre.  The wine was provided by the winery (bodega) Aruspide (http://www.aruspide.com/).

The presentation and explanation of the wine, was funny, entertaining and informative all at the same time! How he managed to keep us all in our seats for well over two hours, is beyond me... and a credit to him!

The first wine we tried was called Agora Lagrimas (tears), this was a young white wine, with a fruity aromatic intensity, leaving a smooth and crisp sensation in your mouth. (I've just ordered 6 bottles!) This wine was paired with Manchego cheese and 'Membrillo, this is quince jelly.

Our second favourite wine was the Agora Roble, red ruby in colour, with a touch of violet, aromas of oak and fruit. Once you've taken a sip, it leaves a lasting taste, which stays with you for a while. We tried this wine with Manchego cheese accompanied by a dollop of raspberry jam.  The food brought out the flavours in the wine, I would have to say that this was an ideal pairing. (Another 6 bottles please!)

There were two other wines with two dishes, all delicious!

I will definitely be attending another event!

Thank you to Chato Grato, La Maquina and Bodegas Aruspeda, for this delightful experience!

 For English classes via Skype, Contact Lisa by email lis.j.grant@gmail.com or Whatsapp 0034645424237