Steve's sandbox

Tag: beach

  • Lauren Maslin: A Road Trip to Korea’s East Coast with Friends ~ May 2025 친구들과 떠난 동해안 로드 트립 2025 년 5월

    친구들과 떠난 동해안 로드 트립

    지난주, 나흘 동안의 연휴가 있어서 유학생들과 한인 친구들과 함께 재미있는 계획을 세웠다.
    가족과 도로 여행을 간 적은 있었지만, 이번 여행은 친구들끼리만 간 첫 여행이라서 출발 전부터 정말 설렜다.E

    우리는 함께 이야기한 끝에 한국 동해안으로 로드 트립을 가기로 결정했다.
    내가 지금까지 한국에서 본 곳들 중에서 동해안이 가장 아름다웠다.
    바다는 파란 마노처럼 반짝였고, 해변은 부드러운 꿀빛 모래로 가득했다.
    산은 나무로 덮인 이불처럼 포근했고, 설탕 뿔처럼 하늘을 향해 우뚝 솟아 있었다.

    작은 마을은 조용하고 평화로웠으며, 사람들은 여유롭고 소박하게 살아가고 있었다.
    저녁이 되면 우리는 해변에서 축구를 하고, 불가사리와 조개껍데기를 찾으며 웃음을 나눴다.
    낮에는 산을 오르며 맑은 공기를 한껏 마셨다.

    매일 아침하고 저녁마다 게하 주인분이 우리에게 밥을 챙겨주셨다. 너무 맛있어서 식사를 순식간에 먹어버렸다… 그래서 사진은 없다 ㅋㅋㅋ 음식이 맛있었을 뿐만 아니라 게스트 하우스 주인분이 너무 친절하셨다. 게스트 하우스 주인분의 성격이 좋아서 그 게스트 하우스에 있는 동안 진짜 편하게 지냈다 ^^

     

    그때 우리는 세상에서 가장 행복한 사람들이었다!
    동해안의 평화롭고 아름다운 분위기는 우리를 떠나고 싶지 않게 만들었지만,
    너무 빨리 다시 도시로 돌아와야 했다.

    최근에 한국 시를 읽고 영감을 받아 내 시를 썼다.마음에 들었으면 좋겠다!

    바다는 우리 앞에서 뛰어올랐고
    기쁨의 춤을 추었네
    우리도 모래 언덕에서 뛰어내리며
    모든 지난날을 잊고
    즐겁게 웃었지

    도시의 오염된 공기가
    우리를 아프게 했지만
    바다의 짠 공기가
    우리에게 힘을 주었네

    우리는 산을 올라 바다를 바라보았고
    햇살이 지고 있었지만
    우리는 따뜻함을 느꼈네
    바다의 따뜻함
    친구들의 따뜻함
    단순함의 따뜻함
    기쁨의 따뜻함

    나는 곧 다시 돌아가서 동해안의 평화로움과 아름다움을 다시 경험할 계획이다.

    (photo taken by my friend 🙂 )  

    A Road Trip to Korea’s East Coast with Friends

    Last week, we had a four-day holiday, so I made some fun plans with international and Korean friends.
    I’ve been on road trips with my family before, but this was my very first trip with just friends, so I was especially excited.

    After talking it over together, we decided to go on a road trip to the East coast of Korea. Out of all the places I’ve seen in Korea so far, the East coast was by far the most beautiful. The ocean sparkled like blue agate, and the beach was covered in soft, honey-coloured sand. The mountains were wrapped in a blanket of trees and rose tall like cones of sugar.

    The small town was quiet and peaceful, and the people lived simple, relaxed lives.
    In the evenings, we played football on the beach and found starfish and shells.
    During the day, we hiked in the mountains and breathed in the crisp, clean air.

    Every morning and evening, the guest house host made food for us. It was so tasty that I finished my meal in no time… so there are no pictures hahaha! Not only was the food delicious, but the host was also really kind. She had a great personality, so we felt very comfortable whilst staying at her place 😊

    At that moment, we were the happiest people in the world.
    The peaceful and beautiful atmosphere of the East coast made us never want to leave, but all too soon, we had to return to the city.

    I have recently been reading some Korean poetry. Inspired, I have written a poem of my own. I hope you like it!

    The sea leaped up before us,
    Dancing a joyful dance.
    We too leapt from the sandy banks,
    Forgetting all the days that had passed,
    Laughing joyfully.

    The polluted air of the city
    Had made us sick,
    But now the salty air
    Gives us strength.

    We climbed a mountain and looked to the sea,
    Though the sun was setting,
    We felt warmth,
    The warmth of the sea,
    The warmth of friends,
    The warmth of simplicity,
    The warmth of joy

    I plan to return soon and once again experience the tranquillity and beauty of the East Coast.

  • Max Jenkins: Abril – Pascua y Viajes | April – Easter and Travelling

    ¡Hola!

    Ahora he estado aquí por más de la mitad de mi estancia en Valencia, y me siento emocionado y nervioso al mismo tiempo. Se acercan mis exámenes en mayo y junio, y definitivamente ha aumentado mi carga de trabajo en la Universidad, por lo que estoy pasando mucho tiempo estudiando y preparándome. A pesar de esto, estoy emocionado por el desafío y por ver cuánto he avanzado desde que comencé mis estudios aquí.

     

     

     

    Fuera de la Universidad, me he divertido el mejor clima de la primavera, y me ha dado la oportunidad de disfrutar al máximo de actividades al aire libre, como correr por la mañana en el jardín del Turia y disfrutando la playa.

    Uno de los puntos destacados de las últimas semanas fue la Pascua. En España, esta se celebra a mayor escala que en el Reino Unido, así que tuve casi dos semanas libres, lo que me dio una gran oportunidad para visitar algún lugar nuevo en España. Pasé una semana en Alicante explorando las ciudades costeras de Jávea y Denia, y mi familia también vino a visitarme. Disfruté probando nuevos alimentos como el pulpo seco, una especialidad de la zona.

    También he comenzado un nuevo pasatiempo: Jiu-jitsu. Siempre me ha interesado las artes marciales, y cuando vi que un gimnasio local ofrecía clases, decidí probarlo. Ha sido una experiencia desafiante pero gratificante para aprender nuevas técnicas y mejorar. He asistido a clases de dos a tres veces cada semana durante un mes, y me gustaría continuarlo cuando regrese a inglaterra.

    San Bartolomé de Jávea

    Estas últimas semanas han estado ocupadas pero satisfactorias, y espero con ansias el resto de mi tiempo aquí en Valencia. Desde el exigente trabajo en la escuela hasta las numerosas actividades de ocio y exploración.

    Hello!

    Now that I have come up to halfway through my time in Valencia, I find myself feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. With my exams coming up in May and June, the workload at school has definitely increased, and I am spending a lot of time studying and preparing for them. However, I am also looking forward to the challenge, and to seeing how far I have come since starting my studies here.

    Outside of University, I have been making the most of the better weather that comes with Spring, and the sunny weather has given me the opportunity to enjoy things on a whole new level, From Morning runs in the Jardin del  Turia and time spent enjoying the beach.

    One of the highlights of the past few weeks has been Easter. In Spain, this holiday is celebrated on a much larger scale than in the United Kingdom, so I had almost two weeks off of University, which gave me a great opportunity to visit somewhere new within Spain. I stayed in Alicante for a week, exploring the coastal cities of Jávea and Dénia, and my family also came to visit me. I enjoyed trying new foods, like “Pulpo Seco” – octopus which is air dried on beaches, a specialty of coastal towns.

    I have also started a new hobby – Jiu-jitsu. I have always been interested in martial arts, and when I saw a local gym offering classes, I decided to give it a try. It has been a challenging but rewarding experience learning new techniques and improving. I have been attending classes two to three times a week for just over a month now, and I plan to continue once I return to England.

    All in all, these past few weeks have been busy but fulfilling, and I am looking forward to the rest of my time here in Valencia. From the challenging coursework at school to the many opportunities to enjoy and explore.

  • Spending time abroad with friends

    I did a day trip from France to San Sebastian which gave me the opportunity to meet up with my close friend. Despite the Spanish language around us we were able to practice our French together over some great food and a few beers. It was amazing to discuss our recent adventures, which is why I took this photo on the beach in order to remember such a brilliant memory with my friend!

  • Ashton Lily-Woolley, Madrid, Spain – March 2015

    Nunca he estado en unos bares tan increíbles en mi vida como los bares de madrid. Una tarde, se puede visitar a un iglú, o a una playa y otra tardes se puede entrar en un bar que se parece como un salón de IKEA. Hace una semana, mi compañera de trabajo me mandó un link para un coupon de Groupon de dos entradas para entrar al bar de hielo de Madrid, un coctél de entrada y otra bebida cada una. Decidí ir un sábado por la noche con una amiga que estaba visitando a Madrid desde Murcia, no hicimos una reserva entonces tuvimos que esperar sobre una hora pero valió la pena. Hacía menos ocho grados en el bar entonces nos dieron un abrigo térmico para poner en el bar – hacíá tanto frío. Recomendo que llevaís un par de guantes para disfrutar a las bebidas! El tiempo ha sido genial por las últimas semanas y estabamos vestidas para salir entonces no tuvimos guantes L.

    Si te apetece hacer algo más diferente puedes ir a Ojalá. He estado una vez pero tienes que reservar una mesa aquí también entonces solo he estado en el restaurante de la segunda planta pero la segunda vez recordábamos reservar una. En la primera planta hay otro sitio para comer algo, parece como una playa, hace bastante calor y las luces están sombrías, por lo tanto, había un ambiente relajante. Hay unas sofás y mesas casí en el suelo entonces os aviso que no cenaís en la primera planta como lo hicimos nosotras jaja, tuvimos que tener mucho cuidado para no tener arena en nuestra cena. La comida es international entonces pedí una empanada de pollo que me recordó de mi casa en Inglaterra.

    El fin de semana pasado no teníá nada organizado solo queria hacer los deberes de la Universidad pero mi compañera de piso me convenció a tomar algo en La Ciudad. No creo que es un bar muy conocido porque no habíá tanta gente cuando lleguemos entonces sentamos en unas de las mesas de abajo. La zona de sentar está decorada como un salón de casa, hay sillónes grandes, pinturas y arte en las paredes y también hay estantes de libros en las dos plantas lleno de guías de viajes para varios países y libros en todos los idiomas. La comida es include mejor que el décor y muy barata! Pidimos un plato turco para compartir y una ensalada como verano se acerca.

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

    I have never been to such incredible bars in my whole entire life like the ones here in Madrid. One night you can find yourself in an ice cold igloo, or a beach and other nights you can wander into a bar that resembles an IKEA living room. A few weeks ago, my work colleague sent me a link for a Groupon voucher for two entrance tickets to go to the Madrid ice bar, a free entrance cocktail each and a second drink. I decided to go one Saturday night with a friend that was visiting from Murcia, we hadn’t booked so we had to wait around an hour but it was definitely worth it. It was -8 degrees so they gave us a thermal jacket to wear inside – it was absolutely freezing. I definitely recommend taking gloves to enjoy the drink! The weather has been pretty great for the last few weeks and we were dressed to go out after so we didn’t take any. 🙁

    If you want to go to a completely opposite bar then you should check out Ojalá. I’ve been once before but you have to reserve a table here too so I’ve only eaten in the restaurant area upstairs but the second time we remembered to reserve a table. Downstairs there is another eating area which is like a beach, it’s quite warm and the lights are dimmed so it has a relaxing feel to it. There are little sofas and tables off the ground so I don’t advise you to eat there like we did haha, we had to be extra careful not to get sand in our dinner. The food is international so I ordered a chicken pie which made me miss home a little.

    This weekend I hadn’t planned to do anything but university work but my roommate persuaded me to go for a drink at La Ciudad. I don’t think it’s a very well-known bar as it wasn’t very busy when we arrived so we got a table downstairs. The sitting area downstairs is decorated like a living room, there are huge armchairs to sit in, paintings and wall art and there are bookshelves on both floors full of travel guides for different countries and story books in all different languages. The food is even better than the décor and very cheap! We ordered a Turkish dish to share and then a salad as the Spanish summer is approaching.

  • Samuel Franklin, Beijing, China – October 2014

    Beach at Taiwan, Kenting

     

    我已经在北京两个月了，越来越多地习惯了在这儿的生活。上个月，我和十一位同学开学了。我们每周从周一到周四，上十六个小时的课，包括语言，文学，报刊阅读和古代汉语的课。功课比较多，但因为每星期有三天的周末，学习的压力大体上不那么严重.

    对于学中文最好的方法，很多人都有自己的看法。比如说，有些人觉得与其花时间预习课本上的课文，不如尽力找中国朋友，练习说话。对我看来，首先需要决定你有什么语言目标。如果你只想说得很流利，你就会多花时间和中国人一起聊天。不过，如果你也想变得有学问，我觉得值得上课和复习生词。

    至今，我最享受上文学课。这不仅是因为我们有一位非常热烈的老师，还是因为我们有很多机会学习中国最有名最重要的原文。我们已经讨论了鲁迅<狂人日记>的意义，也学习了司马迁的一些历史故事。将来我们会读一些中国历史上的经典名著，包括<红楼梦>，<三国演义>和<西游记>。报刊阅读的课也很有用—我们每周要写一篇新闻文章的摘要，所以有机会看当地的报纸。

    课余除了加入一个足球队以外，我还加入了北大国际象棋协会。我是比较认真的棋手，代表英国二十一岁以下的象棋队，有时去国外参加国际比赛。今年到中国之前，我担心我可能没有机会保持我对西洋棋的热情。不过，北大的协会有二十多个会员，他们都很热烈。而且我发现到中国最厉害的两位棋手都是北大的学生—在中国排名第一棋手的丁立人和女子世界冠军侯逸凡！所幸的是，我上周遇见了丁，和他谈天了中国的棋手。

    最后，我十一的时候去了台湾。我呆了七天，参观了很多地方。除了台北以外，我还去了华联，高雄，野柳和垦丁。我过得十分愉快，那里的天气和海鲜都总是非常好。我享受逛夜市，和当地人练习说话（在那儿他们说得更慢），参观国家公园和经验台北的夜生活。我强烈地推荐任何人去台湾旅游！哦，我还看到了一些猴子。

     

     

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

    I’ve already been in Beijing for two months now and feel increasingly at ease with life here. Last month, my eleven classmates and I started lectures. Every week we have classes Monday through Thursday, with lessons in language, literature, newspaper reading and classical Chinese amongst others. Whilst we are set a lot of work, the three day weekends mean work pressure is never overly severe.

    As for views on the best way to study Chinese, many people will say different things. For example, some consider making friends and speaking as much as possible to be the more effective than spending time staring at texts. I think it’s most important to first clarify what one’s language goals are. If you only want to speak fluently, then it may be effective to chat with as many Chinese as possible. However, if you also aim to become literate, then I think it is worth keeping attendance at lectures and putting in the hours at home.

    So far, I’ve most enjoyed my literature classes. Not only because we have a very passionate lecturer, but also as we have had chances to study China’s most famous and important texts in their original form. We’ve read and discussed the significance of Lu Xun’s ‘Diary of a Madman’, as well as some of Sima Qian’s historical stories. In future, we’ll also be reading some of China’s historical classics, including ‘The Dream of the Red Chamber’, ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ and ‘Journey to the West.’ Our newspaper lessons have also been very beneficial – every week we write a short essay on an article of choice from a Chinese periodical, so we also have the opportunity to engage with the local press.

    Outside of class, apart from joining a football team, I have also become a member of Peking University’s chess club. I’m a relatively serious chess player; I represent England at under 21 level and have gone abroad on occasion to play in international tournaments. Before starting my year abroad, I was worried that I probably wouldn’t have the chance to keep up my chess in China. However, the University club has over 20 members, all of whom are passionate about chess. Moreover, I recently discovered that two of China’s strongest players are both students at Peking University – China’s number one Ding Liren and Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan! Last week, I was very fortunate to have the chance to meet Ding and talk to him about China’s chess talents.

    Monkeys in Taiwan

    Finally, I also went to Taiwan for the National Holiday. I spent a week there and travelled to various places. Other than Taipei, I also went to Hualien, Gaoxiong, Yeliu and Kenting. I had a wonderful time there, and the weather and seafood were two constant highlights. I enjoyed strolling through the night markets, practicing my Chinese with locals (they speak a lot slower there), visiting the national parks and experiencing Taipei’s nightlife. I wholeheartedly recommend anyone to go to Taiwan for holiday! Oh, I also saw some monkeys.

  • Taiwan for the National Holiday

     

    I spent a week Taiwan and travelled to various places. Other than Taipei, I also went to Hualien, Gaoxiong, Yeliu and Kenting. I had a wonderful time there, and the weather and seafood were two constant highlights. I enjoyed strolling through the night markets, practicing my Chinese with locals (they speak a lot slower there), visiting the national parks and experiencing Taipei’s nightlife. I wholeheartedly recommend anyone to go to Taiwan for holiday!

    最后，我十一的时候去了台湾。我呆了七天，参观了很多地方。除了台北以外，我还去了华联，高雄，野柳和垦丁。我过得十分愉快，那里的天气和海鲜都总是非常好。我享受逛夜市，和当地人练习说话（在那儿他们说得更慢），参观国家公园和经验台北的夜生活。我强烈地推荐任何人去台湾旅游！哦，我还看到了一些猴子。