The last post to the Fruit Salad blog :)

Hey to all,

There were actually sooo many more things to write about. They will remain in our memories, and some also on photos. But as the exchange student semester is over for quite some time now, there will not be any more updates to this blog.

I have a feeling I will start another travel blog any day soon, due to the frequent-flyer job that I landed on.. //update 30.nov 2008 - I did, click HERE if interested//

Thank you all for being great, and I hope you had fun with us, with the memories & photos!

See you in the world!

Eiko / el Kiwi

Wall of the World - the 8th World Wonder!

We can be a part of the VIII World Wonder! And it is in LATVIA! 65 million names on granite walls, in a huge park... You probably have no idea what I'm talking about :)

Anyway... I saw a TV program some time ago, and it told about a crazy plan of young Latvians - they want to put up many many walls in the middle of Latvia, and on those walls there will be the names of 10% of the world's population. Imagine this now... (or even better - see the intro-video on their homepage :) - walls, walls, walls, and in the middle of all this: your name :) And right next to it - maybe somebody from the other side of the world. Etc, etc. The message of this project is simple - all of us live on the same planet Earth, and we have to stick together if we want to have a future!

So, briefly said, I love the idea! I put my name on the wall already, and so have Kristīne and our families! So come and be our neighbor :) You can find more info on their homepage - click here, or on the photo above the text, if interested ;)


Ja just meie võime olla osaks VIII maailmaimest! Ja see asub LÄTIS! 65 miljonit nime graniitseinal, keset suurt parki... Tõenäoliselt pole sul aimugi, millest jutt käib :)

Ühesõnaga... Nägin mõni aeg tagasi telekast, et noored lätlased teevad hullu projekti - tahavad 10% maailma inimeste nimedest suurtele graniitseintele kirjutada. Kujuta nüüd ette (õigemini vaata kodulehelt tutvustavat videod :) - seinad, seinad, seinad, ja keset seda ilusate tähtedega sinu nimi. Ja selle kõrval võib-olla keegi teiselt poolt maakera. jne jne. Meeste sõnum selle projektiga on ühesõnaga - me oleme kõik Maa elanikud, ja peame kokku hoidma, et meil tulevikku oleks!

Lühidalt siis, et superlahe idee!! :) :) Minu nimi on seinal igatahes juba kirjas, samuti Kristīne ja meie pereliikmete omad! Seega tule meile naabriks :) Lisainfot saab kodulehelt - klikka siia või teksti kohal olevale pildile, kui nüüd huvi tekkis ;)

seikluspuhkus - vasta kohe ja saada sõbrale ;)

Teretere,

Siin on seikluslik lühiküsitlus teemal "Kes või mis on seikluspuhkus / aktiivne puhkus / seiklusturism?"
http://www.my3q.com/home2/205/seiklus/60426.phtml
Vastustega loomulikult kiire, seega palun täida ise ja saada link ka sõbrale ;)

(For Estonians only)

BACK HOME!!

After half an hour we step out of our home in Calle Caceres, Madrid! EasyJet takes us to Berlin for 1 night, and tomorrow WE SEE OUR DEAR BALTIC STATES after a break of 5 months ! !

UPDATE 17.02
WE'RE BACK! The weather in Riga sucks, that's Eiko's opinion. Kristine likes it..

Cool news :)

My grandmother won a week-long trip to Andalucia ! ! ! The trip from the lottery of frequent subscribers of one Estonian newspaper will take place already in September :)

Guest list ;)

So, here's a close-to-complete list of all the people who visited us at our home at Calle Caceres, during our ERASMUS semester ;)

Taavi (brother), end of September

Lauris Gravelis (SSE Riga), start of October. We had a trip to Granada-Malaga-Gibraltar with him.

Viktoria (schoolmate, NRG), 24.October. Arrived from Portugal with a cut on her finger.. Moved on (or back) towards Estonia the next day.

Zane & Anete (close friends), end-Oct till 4.Nov, and we also met them in Sevilla.

Šraaadere (the Thesis partner, and not only), approximately around the 18th of November

Lelde, Ilze, Kristjan, Simon (SSE Riga), 30.11-04.12

Martins (brother), 20.-30.12

Sorin & Adina (CouchSurfing, 23.-24.12)

Natasha & Natasha (Natasha is from SSE, and Natasha from Estonia, but this time they both flew in from London), 26.-31.12)

Luca & Chiara (the coolest CouchSurfers ever, 01.01-08.01)

Parents & family friends

Parents & Karlis

European Travelmaps - ¡ ¡ 7 countries wanted ! !

yep, all the travel maps that you had sent me before the 16.01.2008, are now uploaded here:

Travel maps

See, compare, enjoy!
Special thanks to Maria for Wales ;)

And if you have been to:
Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Macedonia, Malta, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro - write me, or send me your travel map! ;)

A short recap:
The objectives of this contest:
- To gather 50 travel maps of Europe!
- To cover 100% of the European map with our friends' travel experiences
- To find out who is the Top European Traveller :)

So, the results:
1 - 20 travel maps received until 16.01.2008!
2 - 44/51 countries visited in total! (86% of Europe)
3 - Top European Travellers - check the album and see whose maps are the most red ;) yours?

Don't know what all this is about? Check the original post.

Check - new post

Check the 31.December 2007 - there is a new post "Almost Powerpoint". It is about the lecture giving styles here in Madrid, and about the APPP technology of the Baltic students :)

Paris!

Hey, here you can see the photos from the most wonderful New Year's trip ever!!! Paris was simply incredible... All the photos are commented, so you can browse the photo album like a visual travel log :) If you are interested in any further memories or comments, just visit us or let's e-mail and set a skype-chat time ;)

Pariiiizh 31.12.2007 (-04.01.08)

Hei, siin on Pariisi pildid - puha inglisekeelselt kommenteeritud, nagu reisipiltkiri :) Eestikeelsete muljete saamiseks tuleb mulle külla tulla või skype-lobisemine kokku leppida ;)

Elu nagu filmis

Vasakul Kristine, paremal Amelie.
As you can see - our life here is like in a movie.. (left - Kristine, right - Amelie)

KOJU!! BACK HOME!! UZ MĀJĀM!!

Loetud minutid tagasi ostsime tagasilennupiletid Madriidist! Baltikumi jõuame tagasi veebruaris, täpsem kuupäev jäägu zaladuseks ;)

Some moments ago we successfully booked the flight back to the Baltics! We will return home in February, more precisely on the ??th.

Pirms dažiem mirkļiem mēs rezervējām lidmašīnas biļetes uz mājām! Atgriezīsimies Baltijā februārī :-P

Paris - tomorrow!

So, tomorrow we fly to Paris to greet 2008 next to the Eiffel tower!
We are already actively practising our French, for example with this educational video - Foux Da Fa Fa :-D

The Flight of the Conchords are brilliant - the lyrics, the videos, the melodies :) Check also their other videos from Youtube - our personal favourites are:
- Humans are Dead
- Business Time
- Jenny
- Hiphopopotamus vs Rhymenoceros
- etc...


Ühesõnaga homme lendame siis Pariisi, et Eiffeli torni kõrval 2008. aasta vastu võtta!
Harjutamegi juba oma prantsuse keelt, näiteks selle õppevideo abiga - Foux Da Fa Fa :-D

Flight of the Conchords on lihtsalt liiga andekas bänd - nii sõnad, videod kui meloodiad on väga teravad :) Vaata youtube'ist ka nende teisi videosid - meie põhilised lemmikud on:
- Humans are Dead
- Business Time
- Jenny
- Hiphopopotamus vs Rhymenoceros
- jne...

1 nice moment

Idüll paprika, ümbriku ja lehvitatud laualambiga... Kodune.

A nice moment with pepper, an envelope, and our table lamp with a ribbon... Cozy.

Eiko wants to fry ten plums, for fun

Today was the day of Total Makeover. For my keyboard :)
It all started with trying to reach one little fir thorn (the xmas tree "leaf") from between the keys, then I discovered that I can take keys off, and then one thing already led to another.

Now it says I want to fry some plums for fun...

Täna oli Totaalse Muutumise päev. Minu läppariklaveri jaoks :)
Kõik sai alguse sellest, et üritasin klahvide vahelt üht neetud kuuseokast kätte saada, siis avastasin, et klahve saab ju ära ka võtta. Noh ja siis juba 5 1 asi 2.ni...

Nüüd saavad siis inimesed mu klaviatuurilt lugeda, et mulle meeldib naljaviluks ploome praadida...

MERRY CHRISTMAS! ¡ FELIZ NAVIDAD !

¡ ¡ VÄGEVAID JÕULE ! !
Seitsme maa ja mere tagant saabuvad lõunamaiselt soojad tervitused kõigile kodustele! Kallistused ja piparkoogilõhnalised jõulusoovid kõigile sugulastele, sõpradele, Realisteri-rahvale, klassikaaslastele, kallitele ja lähedastele, noortele ja vanadele Eikolt ja Kristinelt :)
Naeratage!
¡ ¡ JA PAUKUV-MÜRTSUVAT AASTAVAHETUST ! !

PRIECĪGUS ZIEMASSVĒTKUS ! ! !
No tālās zemes, aiz kalniem un jūrām, mēs vēlam jums brīnišķīgus, lieliskus, sirsnīgus un priecīgus Ziemassvētkus! Visiem draugiem, tuviem un tāliem, veciem un jauniem - piparkūku apskāvieni un sveicieni no Eiko un Kristīnes.
Pasmaidiet!

MERRY CHRISTMAS ! ! !
From the country far far away, over mountains and seas, we wish you all a great, wonderful, snowy, warm-hearted, Merry Christmas! To all friends, to the Realister-people, to the near and far, to the old and young - gingerbread-flavoured hugs and greetings from Eiko and Kristine.
Smile!
AND HAVE A BANGING-GREAT NEW YEAR'S PARTY ! ! !

Visited European countries map :)

REISISEIKLUSTE VÕIDUJOOKS - kamba peale kogu Euroopa punaseks!
1. Tekita World66 lehel paari hiireklikiga oma isiklik Euroopa reisikaart.
2. Kopeeri oma värskelt valminud kaardi all olev tekst. Kuidas, mis tekst? --> Klikka siia
3. Saada mulle see kopeeritud tekst ja oma nimi. Selleks 2 võimalust: (a) saada mulle emailile või (b) pane osaline kaardi kood siiasamma selle blogiteksti kommentaariks (näidis kommentaarist: "..., riikide kood on selline: ARAUBLESFIGGGEHULELIPORUSLSVSEUK").
4. Kõik kaardid ilmuvad selles albumis 16.01.2008. Võitjale Surematu Au ja Kuulsus! :)

Võidujooksu eesmärgid:
- Koguda 50 Euroopa reisikaarti!
- Katta enda ja sõprade reisikogemustega kogu Euroopa kaart
- Selgitada välja Kõige Suurem Reisisõber :)

Eiko, Kristīne ja Mārtiņši kaardid on albumis juba praegu näha - külastatud Euroopa riigid (punased). Kõik teie kaardid ilmuvad samasse albumisse 16.01.2008 - külasta albumit sellel kuupäeval ja leia enda ja sõprade reisikaardid!

NÜÜD TEGUDELE:
Anna oma panus Euroopa vallutamisele SIIN! Kutsu ka sõber võistlema, saates talle selle postituse lingi: http://lasfrutasexoticas.blogspot.com/2007/12/visited-european-countries-map.html!



THE RACE OF TRAVEL EXPERIENCE - together, we can paint Europe 100% red!
1. Create your own personal Europe travel map, only with a few mouse clicks, on the World66 site.
2. Copy the text under your freshly created map. How, which text? --> Click here
3. Send me the copied text and your name. You can do it in 2 different ways: (a) e-mail them to me, or (b) paste the partial map code right here in the comment field of this blog post(an example comment: "..., the countries code is the following: ARAUBLESFIGGGEHULELIPORUSLSVSEUK").
4. All the maps will be uploaded to this album on 16.01.2008. The winner receives Immortal Fame and Glory! :)

The objectives of this contest:
- To gather 50 travel maps of Europe!
- To cover 100% of the European map with our friends' travel experiences
- To find out who is the Top European Traveller :)

Eiko's, Kristīne's, and her brother Mārtiņš' maps are already uploaded to the album as an example - visited countries in Europe (red). All your maps will be visible in the same album on 16.01.2008 - visit it then to find your and your friends' maps!

NOW - "ACTION!":
Click here to conquer your part of Europe! After that, invite a friend to the travel-challenge, sending them this link: http://lasfrutasexoticas.blogspot.com/2007/12/visited-european-countries-map.html

Something cool to see / listen

Video killed the radio stars.
Internet killed the video stars.
What's next?

Daby Touré - Yafodé:

¡Abrazos gratis! Free hugs!

24.December meant a Free Hugs campaign for Madrid. Organized by the CouchSurfing community, where I also belong for the last month. You can see the cool video of the original campaign here ;)
I spent about an hour in the center of Madrid (Sol) with the Free Hugs gang, and during this time exchanged approximately 100 hugs. Many happy (and surprised) faces, many people taking photos of (and with) us, and some new friends from Spain, USA, and Mexico ;) A very positive emotional charge from that day!
Every hug prolongs your life, and so does smiling - use your birth-given talents :)

Jõululaupäev tähendas Madriidi jaoks, et toimub "Tasuta kallistuste" kampaania. Orgunnijaks CouchSurfing seltskond, kuhu minagi juba umbes kuu aega kuulun. Vaata siit ka mõnusa soundtrackiga algupärase kampaania videot ;)
Veetsin tasuta embajate kambaga Madriidi keskuses (Solis) ligikaudu tunni, selle aja jooksul vahetasin umbes 100 kallistust. Palju rõõmsaid (ja üllatunud) nägusid, palju huvilisi meid (ja end meiega) pildistamas, samuti paar uut sõpra Hispaaniast, USAst ja Mehhikost ;) Väga positiivne laeng sellest päevast!
Iga kallistus pikendab su eluiga, nagu naerataminegi - kasutagem julgelt oma kaasasündinud andeid :)

The great weekend - Eiko's point of view :)

Hey again. The past weekend was great, seeing 3 small cities called Segovia, Salamanca, and Ávila. It was cold as hell in all 3 of the cities - a pure joy to return to the warm Madrid (plus degrees). Still, I managed to take out my camera in many occasions, and capture some nice moments. Now they are uploaded and commented.
Click, see photos, and leave your comments here:

Segovia, Salamanca, Avila

Tere taas - nädalavahetus oli väga lahe - 3 pisilinna. Segovia, Salamanca ja Ávila on pildistatud ja kommenteeritud ülalasuval aadressil. Põrgukülm oli kõigis 3 kohas - lausa rõõm tagasi sooja Madriidi (plusskraadid) saabuda :)
Klikka, naudi, jäta oma kommentaarid.

Klikka siinsamas allpool lingile "Photos", ja näed kõiki fotoblogistusi*. Klikka lingile "Travel" ja näed kõiki reisiblogistusi*
Fotoblogistus = fototeemaline blogipostitus; reisiblogistus = reisiteemaline blogipostitus

Photos, pildid, bildes ;)

Hey - just a short note here, telling you that now you can see comments under all the Sevilla-Cordoba and Toledo photos.

Hei-hopsti - lühimärguanne selle kohta, et nüüd Sevilla-Cordoba ja Toledo pildialbumeid vaadates näete iga pildi all ka väikest kommentaari. Enamasti inglisekeelsed, aga leidub ka spetsiaalselt eestikeelse killuga pilte - siis ka kommentaar eestimeelne :)