Warszawa

Finally, and after several months living in Poland, I faced the capital, Warszawa. The city which suffered so much exactly 60 years ago, when after the uprising of the Warsaw's people in 1944 the nazi occupation decided to eliminate absolutely every building in there. So we are now talking about one brand-new city, but keeping the style and architectural line it had in the past thanks to Bottarello.

The first thing I realised is that Warsaw is big, pretty big. So forget about going on foot from one part to another if you don't have so much time to spend, because probably you'll spend it walking and getting tired. Since many important places to visit are really separated it gives to the city...

Thanks to the cousins of Olga, we could leave our backpacks in the dormitory and start sightseeing Warsaw having as first choice the Palace of science and culture, the old communist style building, giving as a present by the soviets. The interest part of the building is its height. 115m which allow you to have a very good view of the whole Warsaw, of course, after paying 15/20PLN for the reduced/normal ticket. We are in the capital, life is not for free...

Detail “The palace of Culture”

Detail “View of Warsaw from the Palace of Culture”

After a nice talk with Adam and Kamila eating in a vegetarian restaurant (which very nice enchilada!), we went to the Uprising museum of Warsaw, where you may see how the Polish population stood up and started to fight against the German occupation. A complete collection of media is placed there, which is really worth it to see if the topic interests you a bit.

Another place, or I maybe should say icon, in Warsaw is "the palm", placed in one central round about where you're always passing by when moving from east-west or north-south parts of the city is needed. I guess you are thinking the same I did, a palm doesn't really fit in an Eastern-Europe country, but it's there. Globalisation... :)

Detail “The palm”

Museum of Katyn (Muzeum Katynskie)
Unfortunately, after going pretty far from city centre, and from the place we were sleeping, the museum was closed and we could only took some pictures from the outside :(

Łazienki park
This was one of the parts that I liked the most. Maybe because in Krakow there is no such a park and I really missed it, but I felt so good walking in this park. Many people, trees, flowers, even animals.

Detail “Hungry Squirrel”

The Lazienki park was a place where the king had his own summer palace, nowadays called palace on the water.

Detail ”Palace on the water”

And it has another building called white house really worth seeing.

During all these moments, we’ve been travelling by bus, tram or metro, seeing all the big streets that Warsaw has all over itself.

Detail “Long streets in Warsaw”

Actually the trip was a bit fast as lightning, going at 6:10 on Saturday in the morning and coming back on Sunday at 17:10…
But I think that I really enjoyed the trip. And one of the main reasons was that I had been reading about Warsaw in my lovely Lonely planet and we had the organized plan as well as very good guides who took care of us in the big city of Warsaw. Thank you guys!

I would also like to thank Olga, without you we hadn’t been in Warsaw and I could write these words as I’m doing.
I have to say that her improvements in Spanish are becoming bigger and bigger… ;)

And last but not least, I’d like to say welcome to the blog world to Alejandro, my roommate here in Krakow. Who is becoming a professional photographer since he bought a DSLR camera.
I have no doubt he will be a good one! Go Alex go! :)

Detail “The professional in Łazienki park”

You can read him here: http://aleromar.blogspot.com

I guess he’ll prepare some surprises for us as well. So, enjoy reading!

More pictures can be seen here:
http://picasaweb.google.es/f.martin.85/Warszawa25th26thApril09#

Thanks everybody who is following me. I really appreciate it!

Warm greetings from Krakow.

Weekend in Kyiv!

Old Soviet union, cruel WWII fights, not lucky 26 of April 1986 in Chernobyl, old Polish city L'viv, huge Dnipro river, currency called hryvnias, big and green city Kyiv and lovely people who greet saying privet! Can you guess in which country I've been recently? I guess it's easy with such an information written...
Ukraine host me during last days and I wanted to talk about it.

Starting from Katowice and this beautiful sunset, all was going on normally. Bus to Katowice airport, checking in, and waiting for my Wizzair plane.


Once in Kyiv, no problem occured since AEGEE exists!! :)
Olga picked me up and since that time, everything was prepared, lovely and in time!
Thank you Olguita!It was great!



When Kyiv people told me that the city I was sightseeing in that moment was one of the greenest of Europe I was very surprised, but you only need a few hours getting yourself lost in the city centre to feel the green in your own body. And if you have the opportunity of visiting it in Spring, don't hesitate!
Here I upload a very good proof of it.


Souvenirs have a place and a proper name. Andriyivs’ky, where you can buy typical Ukrainian clothes, Easter eggs, handmade plates, wooden boxes, and hanging decorations to bring good luck to your home :)

I hope mum and sister will like what I got there for them! :)

Orthodox churches are spread all around Kyiv, and you can recognize them since they have a peculiar shape from the outside. Here you can see one of the most famous ones just next to the street I’ve mentioned before. It’s really nice to see it, and even more if you have good weather like I had!



If the WWII is a topic you like, don't miss the museum located on the top of one of the seven hills of the city.
You'd see some of the battles in Ukraine well explained, and the power that the soviet union had in that time. Thank you Irina for the well explained tour!!

I also want to thank Choranova who had to get up early for me not to get lost in Kyiv!
thank you Ola!



воля is the word you can appreciate watching the national emblem,
which means liberty. Another thing that I know thanks to AEGEE Kyiv people!

http://www.aegee.kiev.ua/

http://aegeekyiv.blogspot.com/

http://aegee.kiev.ua/Press.aspx

I also have to say that they are working so hard in AGORA preparations and since Magusa one has finished, all of you should be thinking of coming to Fall Agora Kyiv 2009 ;)

In the picture, one of the brave guys in AEGEE Kyiv board. Keep going Petya! :)

Summarizing, I have to say that I really liked Kyiv.
And I only have one word to the fantastic people from AEGEE who took care of me:
Спасибо!

More interesting pictures: http://picasaweb.google.es/f.martin.85/Kyiv16thApr09#

My first Birthday since I have blog...

Yes, I am getting old... but It doesn't mean I'm not happy.
This is my first Birthday abroad, far from my family and friends, and someones could think that it's sad or not the way it should be.
But actually I'm feeling really good, a guy beloved even being abroad, receiving greetings from many places, in many languages and by different means of communication.

And this feeling couldn't be possible if you weren't there guys, all the ones who make me happy, make me laugh, make me think, and also make me get angry, but in the end, I can resume it:
you make me feel alive! so I can enjoy this life, full of different situations and emotions, made for living it in every minute of our lifes.

So, I want to thank you all again, the fact that you remembered me in this day keeping me more alive than anytime before.

THANK YOU!


Picture corner:

Here I add a picture of Kopiec kościuszki where I've been yesterday, watching how the sun went down during the day of my 24th birthday.
This is a very nice place to stay calm, think and enjoy the views...

If you want to see more:
http://picasaweb.google.es/f.martin.85/KopiecKosciuszki1stApril09#

And also I took a look around Rynek Glowny with my tripod, and I took a couple of nice pics from there:


Kocham Kraków!

P.S. If you want to see more pictures of Kopiec and Ryne...
http://picasaweb.google.es/f.martin.85/KopiecKosciuszki1stApril09#
http://picasaweb.google.es/f.martin.85/RynekGlowny1stApril09#

Job interview done!

As I mentined yesterday, the ESA interview for the YGT place in ESTEC was today.
At 10.00 I was in ESTEC main entrance requesting my acreditation.

Actually ESTEC is not so complicated building and I got used to it in a few minutes after asking the reception girl.

The inteview was planned at 11:30 and the nice woman Caroline Brucker explained me everything before it.
The minutes in between the meeting with Caroline and the interview were the most stressing ones.

After these minutes almot without end the door of the interview room was opening in front of me, without knowing the people who were about to interview me...
Once started the interview in front of 3 people (1 from the Education department, 1 from Human resources and the project coordinator of the GENSO project)
The heart started to calm down and I could express myself in a way I'm used to. They were nice people and I felt confident in the interview.

After half a hour of interview and many questions from three sides, where of course there were some of them that I couldn't answer in the proper way I would like to, I shaked hands again and I left the room. I feel confident but not 100%...

Now it's time to wait until the answer in 4 or 5 weeks time, when I'll have the YES or the NO from them.

Summarizing I would say that ESTEC day was a nice inspiring day, showing me a very nice working place and the variety of nationalities working together for a main aim.
Leticia was there, working on her project and she and her friends in ESTEC kindly took care of me during lunch time in the restaurant.

Salmon was the main dish, which I didn't try in Poland for a long time. It was great! :)

After that, the launching of GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer) took place and I was there in the Space EXPO to see it...

De One day in ESTEC, European Space Agency Technology headquarters

After that nothing kept me in that nice place and it was time to leave, to take a taxi and to go to Leiden station coming back to Brussels, where I am spending one more night before taking the plane to Poland.
I wouldn't mind to work there for a year, in a technology, educational and lovely european environment.


I'll inform you about the results. On wednesday, I'll be back in Poland.

Greets!

P.S. I want to thank you everyone who supported me before the interview and I send your best regards to them ;)

My first job interview

It was a long time since I wrote down on this blog last time, and I want to apologize to all the ones who were following it.

Today I want to talk about a very important day in my life. Tomorrow, Tuesday 17th of March 2009 I'll have my first job interview in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.

The interviewer will be the ESA (European Space Agency) and the job is the Young Graduate Trainee opportunity they offer every year for people like me.

The job is focused on the GENSO project (Global Educational Network for Satellite Operations).
www.genso.org

I've been several days reading, updating myself, trying to guess what they'll ask about it and what would be the better answer for each question.
In one hour I'll be leaving to The Netherlands and I'll finally face the interview as it deserves.

Greetings to everyone from AEGEE Comitée Directeur house in Brussels.

Fernando

Sábado en la Laboral

Este post va dedicado a una parte muy importante de mi actual vida, mi familia.
Ayer, sábado 10 de Diciembre de 2008 nos fuimos a la Laboral en Gijón, donde hay una pequeña pista de hielo en un marco inigualable.




Llegamos sobre las 4 de la tarde y la pista estaba literalmente tranquila y transitable. Mi hermana y yo nos aventuramos a la pista, con algo de miedo a la caída dado que era la primera vez que el hielo nos acogía para patinar...



No tuvimos mucho problema desde que yo aprendí a patinar en línea cuando era mozo y mi hermana tiene 9 años y aprende más rápido que el rayo.
Aunque por eso creo que se atrevió un poco más que yo con algún vuelo inesperado...


La recepción no fue del todo buena... jeje.

Al final de la hora que se nos asignó para patinar, la pista estaba prácticamente inundada de personas y a mí no me apetecía mucho el seguir patinando con riesgo a atropellar o ser atropellado...

Despúes de estos momentos en la Laboral tomamos algo en la cafetería donde, cuando estudiaba en gijón, iba de vez en cuando a comer. Al parecer, mi hermana había gastado demasiado en la pista de hielo y necesitaba el avituallamiento pertinente.


No tardamos mucho en poner rumbo para casa, donde la sidra y unas conversaciones amenas nos esperaban de la mano de unos viejos amigos.


El día había sido algo largo y cansado para mí, por lo que decidí permanecer en casa durante la noche, para poder hoy preparar este blog y las cosas del viaje de mañana...

Gracias por este sábado familia!!


Fer

One white week in the French Alps.

Here it is,a new post in my blog. It's a long time since I don't post, but the week in the French Alps deserves my typing.
The idea started in the proposal of a friend of mine (Dorothée) who has a place for staying in Lanslevillard, a little town close to the high mountains.


Ver mapa más grande

She proposed to us to get there and stay in her place for a week (new year's eve included), skiing/snowboarding for 5 days.
The idea was pretty well accepted for all of us noticing that the money we would spend won't be a big amount.
As I was in Krakow, I didn't get in contact so often with my trip-mates (Dani, Chema and Soni), but once in Asturias, we started to prepare all the stuff for the white week.
Helmet, gloves and a small present (windstopper) for Do was where I spent the money on before the departure. I have to say that the present was chosen by Chema and Soni and the four of us pay a bit of it.

GOING.

The first way was a bit tiring, since we spent 18 hours on the road. We started at 21:30 from Oviedo and we drove the whole night and morning. Finally we arrived at 15:30 ish, just willing to rest a bit before start skiing/snowboarding the next day.
One of the main reasons because we spent 18 hours was the car speed (100km/h). Once we put magnet holders fot the skiis and snowboards, we should take cara of the speed fotr them not to fly away...
Here you can see the long route we took:

Ver mapa más grande

And here you have our best friend furing these 18 hours:

Renault clio 1.2 16V.

MOBILE DEVICE & NAVIGATOR.

The next paragraph doesn't make too much sense with the Alps topic, but I had to mentioned it...
Two days before I went to the Alpes on 26th of December, I received my new mobile devide with Windows Mobile.

The Samsung Omnia.

http://omnia.samsungmobile.com/

It is my first device with mobile phone, GPS reveiver, Wifi, touch screen...
Taking the opportunity it offered to me, I decided to install a GPS navigator for the trip, just in case we would need it.
The software chosen was: "iGo 8.3 for windows mobile"


It didn't dissappoint me at all, and I recommend you to use it in case you can.
I found it out thanks to http://www.foro-elrincondedey.com/.
The maps are available here: http://www.volny.cz/sstopar/mio_mapy_igo8.html

The true story is that we didn't need the navigator at all, and we found the right way to Lanslevillard...

THE ALPES.

What can I say of a beautiful ski parade in the border of France with Italy, plenty of snow everywhere and with good weather almost the most of the time...
I susprises me in many ways.
The first one was that I'd never been in such a bit station and I could snowboard for such a long time compared with the ones I've been in.
Here my love in the right side and Dani's future love in the left.


The second one was the people I met there.It wouldn't be in a different way. Since we knew Dorothée we didn't expect something different from her sister Charlotte (one of the three she has) and her friend Caroline.
Nice, attentive, talkative, good trivial players, good cooks, and of course très mignonnes!


You are invited to Krakow during this year I'll spend there!

The third one was the food. Here in the Alps, it was not only a ski week but with tried different French specialities easy to prepare and very tasty!
I can mention some of them: Crepes, raclette, fondue, duck with pears...


Our stomachs had a really good time when we where out of the snow ;)
I really have to thank the cooks: Dorothée, Charlotte and Caroline and Sophie. Thank you!

I thought I gorgot the last one, but I also have a new game that I'll never forget. The jungle Speed!
When there's nothing else to do, it's a wonderful game to warm your brains up!

http://www.junglespeed.com/

PHOTOGRAPHY.

As you may know, I'm becoming day by day more fan of the photography, and in the Alps we join 3 DSLR cameras, Dorothée's, Stergios'and mine.
And as you may know, I fall in love with everything related with photography I see. Here it happened with a new lens.
Stergios, our greek friend from Thessaloniki, has a new lens which makes a very good effect in the indoor pictures.
As you can see in the following one:



I think it is my next adquisition when I'll have money... :)
Stergos is a great photographer, he knows that the pictures aren't made by money and expensive equipment, and he knows the recipee for cooking a good picture: Let's be creative!


Thanks for your advices mate. I'm following your steps... ;)

COMING BACK.

15 hours we spent for coming back.Why 3 hours less? We tried to increase our speed without risks and it worked well at 110km/h. We were also with more energies since we rested a lot the previous night and we drove during the day, departing at 12:30 aprox.
I arrived home at 5:00 in the morning (on January the 3rd) and after eating something light I went to bed directly.

ADVICE!

If you guys love skiing/ snowboarding, you should try one of these stations in the Alps. I know it's expensive, but I encourage you to do it just once in life.
And if you have the opportunity, as I had, to go with a very good friends and you have even the possibility to meet past mates and to meet new kind people, don't doubt it!

THANK YOU

I also want to thank Melou, Chema, Soni, Chris Krella and the German troop for the unbelievable week and the amazing moments in the cold, white and lovely Alps.


In one week, coming back to Krakow.

Greets and thanks to everyone who reads this blog.