Another trip for me invited from The Saga Group. This time to the beach of Atlantic Ocean. There we also visited an old Roman town. Most interesting was the repaired Roman Theater where they use to keep concerts during The Full Moon. The guide said they are always fully booked.  It would be dazzling to sit there at the theatre, listen to music in the dark night with The Full Moon shining. In front of your eyes only the beach and the Atlantic Ocean! At that same beach there can also be a possibility to see wild horses running! I haven`t even known there were wild horses in Spain any more. What amazing!

When we drove back to the hotel, we stopped at a place you can see Africa if it´s not cloudy. And we saw, Morocco, so near!

Today, before working, my daily walk took me to the market. There is so much to wonder and enjoy the atmosphere! Huge strawberries they have here, 1,50 / kg. But I must say, they are big and they look very tasty but they are not nearly as sweet as the Finnish ones!

One little shop was very interesting and it has a very clever business idea; in the same shop they sold paints and other building supplies and on the other wall perfumes and other cosmetics! If a man works hard and too long days it helps him not to forget her wife`s or girlfriend`s birthday. He can also save his time when he can buy the present from the same shop where he maybe has to go during his working day, clever, isn`t it!

More to see here in Spain. An English tour operator, Saga Group  makes voyages to Reina Cristina. Their group leader invited me to their trip to Tarifa last saturday when I had my second day off.

It was an interesting half day tour, where we followed the coastline of the “Costa de La Luz”to reach the enchanting town of Tarifa. Situated on the southernmost tip of the Spanish peninsula it is the only place in Spain where you can enjoy both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the most attractive destinations for historians and windsurfers alike.

Tarifa was founded by the Arabs who converted the city into a giant fortress in the year 710, and, being in a strategic position of defense, from there they controlled the Strait of Gibraltar. In 1295, Alonso Perez de Guzman, the mayor of the fortress city, built a castle and strolling around the historical part of the town. There you could see the Arab influence of fortress walls and towers.

Very interesting place and a very warm and nice Spanish day!

More of my journey to Ronda.

Maybe the greatest thing in Ronda was Puente Nuevo, an old bridge over a little river, 150 meters down makes  an incredible sight! Look yourself and notice that the foto can´t show it as you can see it there yourself. I recommend this place to everybody who visits this area of Spain. I also found there a nice restaurant where I could admire the fantastic landscape!

Today was my first day off and I made a train journey to Ronda.

First little history: In the 1890`s, a railway was built by the Algeciras Railway Company Ltd between Algeciras and Ronda. It was masterminded by British engineer John Morrison and his friend Alexander Henderson. The line connected with the main network to Madrid and acted as a gateway to the rest of Europe. The train journey was very interesting. It tooks you through stunning scenery and historic sites to Ronda. The route runs on a single track down the Guadiaro valley and passes the beautiful Genal valley too, a place where there is limited road access, pretty villages and quaint railway stations that cannot be seen from the road.

There  was really  a lot to see in Ronda. I had a map with me and there were nearly 30 tourist attraction to see in this small town. I had good luck, i found CRISTOVAL and his horse PAVAROTI. They gave me a lift around the town, he told me what places we saw and give me time to take fotos.

“Ronda is, indeed, one of those places which stands alone. I know of nothing to which it can be compared” Lady Tenison (1850)

After that I spent some more time in Palacio de Congresos,  beautiful paintings are from there..

Casa Palacio  museo Lara was also very interesting place. There were many halls and rooms with different themes: Hall of clocks, Weapon Hall, Sala Romantica and The Inquisition Exposition! Here some fotos of them.  

Hola, buenas dias!

Spanish people are warm and friendly especially when you are same to them. Only 5 days here and I have already many friends at this hotel. Most of them want to teach me Spanish.

Mi nombre es Tiina. Hasta luego!

Today I got to know when will be my first day off, next friday and saturday. Them I`m going to use precisely because I`m gonna see something of this interesting , historical Cadiz. Before that my working days consist of working at the lunch and the dinner buffet. During the working day I polish cutlery, set tables, serve drinks to the customers; wines, beer, water, lemonade. Then I clean tables and carry dishes to the kitchen. The work is well known for me. Some working styles are sometimes very different from which I am used to. For example I have used to the system in finnish restaurants that every waiter has his / hers tables. Of course others help you if you have more things to do. Here in this restaurant everybody take care of every table. That`s my opinion but I think we loose much time when we all are walking around the restaurant all the time. I think also that the best service is possible only when the customer knows who is your waiter. But anyway  it`s interesting to see different styles for doing the same things. I am able to speak a lot of English because of many english speaking  customers. And because they are very pleased of my service it`s a great pleasure to work here. Always in the morning before working and at the break in the afternoon I use to go little around. The world is full of things to see.

Three working days done! If I hadn`t been working my whole career at restaurants and cafeterias this would probably be much more difficult. The staff in the restaurant don`t speak English, some little, some not a word! The biggest part of the customers are wonderful, polite, friendly tourists from England. They are all very interested to talk with me. Everybody wants to know my name, where I`m from and why I am here. And they are also pleased for my english. Great, sounds good for me!

This week my all workindg days are the same time 12.30 – 16 and 19-23.30. So if i want to do something else than work, I must do it in the morning or between the working times. I have been walking once to the right of the hotel . Today I walked to the left. There I found a Saturday-market.

33 days of working, 256 hours of working, in which 17 hours of break, and on the top of that 66 hours of standing in the crowded bus. In the end we didn’t get the best grades but not the worst either. But we got the best for us. And feedback about being on the right track.

This week we worked with our “instructor” from Monday to Wednesday (in other words, we worked with her maybe half of the time and the other half we were rubbing plates etc). And in the end we didn’t sit down and talk about the practice with her, she only gave us the papers and said have a good flight, thank you. Well maybe it is partly our fault for not asking feedback from the departments. Okay then.

We had two pictures from the last day but this blog didn’t let us add them. Happy to say goodbye to this blog.

xoxo,
Get ready Finland, we are coming home,
Piña & Rina

Hello,

This week has been pretty much same as the last week. Pinja has been doing the morning shift at housekeeping and Riina the evening shift in food & beverage.

In housekeeping the work has been pretty much the same, just checking if the rooms are ready for the customers. And in F&B Riina has been doing some room service by taking food to the rooms. And cleaning the dishes.

xoxo,

we can count the remaining working days with one hand,

Riina & Pinja