Arrived! I am in Granada right now, it’s dark outside.
I am waiting for the others, we still have to have dinner… moving south from Germany have also these side effects. Let’s see later how this ancient city, celtic, greek, moorish, will welcome us.

In the meanwhile the trip was good, we had no big problems.
Indeed, the best part was landing in Madrid. We couldn’t see the land for the whole journey because it was cloud. And when we started approaching the city, the plane did a couple of veers – luckily from my side! – each of them to change direction by almost 180 degree, each of them by descending for some (hundreds?) meters, closer and closer to the clouds, plunging into that white water, but not really touching them..

I was feeling anxious to reach the clouds, and light because of the falling, even if it was not real. So strange…

Oh, they call me for Tapas! Silvia, let’s go back to real, concrete world.

Yeah! To prove that my German lessons are kind of working, I have set up a new approach. I decided than I will learn crazy difficult words and I will actually put in practice. So the effort to learn them will be worth Sounds Reasonable, right?

Yeah! To prove that my German lessons are kind of working, I have set up a new approach. I decided than I will learn crazy difficult words and I will actually put in practice. So the effort to learn them will be worth
Sounds Reasonable, right?

So, as a first test, on thursday I have learnt this new verb, schlittschuhlaufen.., and on Saturday I went to apply.  And, guess what… I went ice-skating!
As last year, we went to the Olympia-Park and had a fun with friends, trying to falling and dancing on the ice. I should point out that we where almost girls, ’cause the men where scared to hurt themselves… Shame on them, eheheh

Oh, bye the way, I had almost forgot to explain you the  etymology of the verb (lucky you that I remembered, eh?). It’s easily explained. “Schlitt” means sliding, “Schuhe” means shoes, and “laufen” is running… Ingeniuous!

That one of the examples of why I am starting to love German, actually!!!

tschüß

Spain, I am coming.
Ah, the harsh job of an astronomer…wake up one morning and discover that in two weeks you have to flight to Spain, for an observing run  at a new telescope… What could you say, when they are going to pay you the flights,  the staying, and it’s a good chance for your job to learn something new, to get involved in a new project? What could you say, besides…

” My luggage is ready, when does the plane take off? “

So, just a quick look at Google Map:

to discover that the telescope is close to Granada [where I am staying a day as a tourist: wouldn't you me to be back in Munich on a Saturday night, right?!] .

Then a check at the official website to read that ” the 30-meter telescope on Pico Veleta in the Spanish Sierra Nevada is one of the two radio astronomy facilities operated by IRAM. Built in only four years (1980 to 1984) at an elevation of 2850 meters, it is one of today’s largest and most sensitive radio telescopes for tracing millimeter waves”.

A look at the pictures gallery [Preview to the pictures I will take]

And in two weeks ready to leave!