+
My world
Looking at special places in our lives
+My World - My special place in the world is
…
Think about the following and discuss with your partner(s).
+
Vocabulary and more

What tenses will you use?
What person(s) will you use?

Present

Past

Future

I

You

He/she/it
we


They
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Can you think of more adjectives that
may help you?
lovely
decadent
wonderful
spacious
wet
comfortable
laidback
beautiful
special
good
decrepit
great
stunning
perfect
breathtaking
hot
dangerous
recurring
narrow
dilapidated
amazing
quiet
enchanting
huge
pleasant
pictoresque
modern
relaxing
historical
+
Examples
A special place for me is …
Toronto Ontario
(Canada)
+Canadian National Exhibition, Toronto
In August 2014, we travelled to Toronto, Canada, from Spain. It was a special
trip because Daisy, my mother-in-law, who left Ireland to live in Canada 50
years ago, was having her 90th birthday. We had a great time sight-seeing
and visiting family and friends.
This picture shows the CNE (called the Ex), the longest-running fair in North
America, begun 150 years ago. There were lots of scary rides, concerts, and
competitions, and even someone who guesses your weight and age for $5.
We enjoyed it very much. It was like going back to our childhood!
A special place for me is …
Toronto Ontario
(Canada)
La Habana
(Cuba)
La Habana (Cuba)
One long-cherished dream of mine was to travel to the Caribbean and visit Cuba, and last
Christmas Santa Claus made that wish come true. My family and I set off for Havana and
Varadero on 22nd December 2013 and spent a wonderful week there with some Cuban
friends of ours. As soon as I set foot in “La Habana”, I simply fell in love with the city, the
people and its atmosphere. Despite the decrepit buildings you may encounter in your
strolls around Habana Vieja, any traveller could envisage the enchanting splendor of the
old times. This is a photo taken from the balcony of our hotel “ Habana libre”. You can
contemplate the whole of “La Habana”, “el Malecón” , the old town , “El Vedado”etc…
One day this beautiful place will be the jewel of the Caribbean.
A special place for me is …
Toronto Ontario
(Canada)
La Habana
(Cuba)
The Mediterranean Sea
off the coast of
Palamós, Costa Brava
(Spain)
+Wreck dive site: The Boreas
This was the first time I was scuba diving with my
15-year-old son. We were visiting The Boreas, a
vessel which was sunk in 1969. Once on the boat
on our way to the dive site, we realised one of the
divers had a huge camera. We asked him if he
would be so kind as to take a photo of us
underwater.
And… here we are!
This picture shows how we were decompressing
at the end of our dive. I know it is not a great shot,
but I can tell who I am and who my son is. Can
you make a guess?
Thank you, Eric, for bringing back wet memories
from our trip to Costa Brava
A special place for me is …
Toronto Ontario
(Canada)
Burgos
(Spain)
La Habana
(Cuba)
The Mediterranean Sea
off the coast of
Palamós, Costa Brava
(Spain)
+
Burgos Cathedral
Four years ago I revisited Burgos. When I first became a teacher I moved there
and stayed for three years. I had the time of my life in this small city in the north of
Spain. I met a lot of people, made some good friends and had a lot of fun.
When I moved back home, Burgos became a recurring dream. I used to dream
that I was still there, so I thought perhaps I hadn’t said goodbye properly to my
previous life. That’s when I decided to revisit Burgos. I found it hadn’t changed
much, but this visit helped me close that window I’d left open. Burgos will always
be one of my very special places.
A special place for me is …
Toronto Ontario
(Canada)
Burgos
(Spain)
La Habana
(Cuba)
The Mediterranean Sea
off the coast of
Palamós, Costa Brava
(Spain)
Pompeii
(ITALY )
+
Pompeii
This summer we visited an ancient Roman city called Pompeii. I was
travelling around Italy with my friend. I’ve always wanted to visit Pompeii
because I love History and I’d like to be an archeologist.
Pompeii had a population of about 30,000 people. It was suddenly
destroyed and buried under 4 to 6 metres (13 to 20 ft) of ash and pumice in
the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
It’s an amazing city to visit and learn about Roman customs and ways of
living: villas, amphitheatre, baths, aqueduct , forum, shops etc. During the
excavation, plaster was used to fill in the voids between the ash layers that
once held human bodies. This allows us to see the exact position the people
were in when they died. It was an experience I will never forget.
A special place for me is …
Toronto Ontario
(Canada)
Burgos
(Spain)
La Habana
(Cuba)
The Mediterranean Sea
off the coast of
Palamós, Costa Brava
(Spain)
La Carizal. Asturias
(Spain)
Pompeii
(ITALY )
+
My special place is a modern house on top of a hill in the countryside, only 15 kms
away from Gijón. Its owner, a friend of mine, asked my husband and I to take care of it
while he was working abroad for a year. I have never been a big fan of country life, so
at first I was not very keen on staying there. However, because my husband loves it,
we ended up spending every other weekend and most of our Christmas and Easter
holidays there. And I must admit I really enjoyed every minute of it.
The house is really comfortable and spacious, the view from the living room and the
studio is so relaxing: green fields, apple trees, distant hills and mountains.On clear
days you can see the highest Picos de Europa mountains. We went for long walks along
the quiet country roads nearby, watched/admired so many stunning sunsets and
sunrises …
The peace and quiet there made it the perfect place to unwind, and it was so near.. I’m
going to miss it now that my friend has come back.
A special place for me is …
Toronto Ontario
(Canada)
Burgos
(Spain)
La Habana
(Cuba)
La Carizal. Asturias
(Spain)
Pompeii
(Italy )
Sardinia
(Italy)
The Mediterranean Sea
off the coast of
Palamós, Costa Brava
(Spain)
+
Somewhere in Sardinia
In summer, my husband and I
always plan trips to visit new
places: new countries or new
cities, and we usually go up
north, because my husband
can’t cope with the heat.
But last summer, after a cold
winter and a wet, rainy spring,
we decided to go to Sardinia
looking for sunshine, pleasant
temperatures and blue skies.
We took this picture while
going to our hotel the day we
arrived on the island.
A special place for me is …
Toronto Ontario
(Canada)
Sicily
(Italy)
Burgos
(Spain)
La Habana
(Cuba)
La Carizal. Asturias
(Spain)
Pompeii
(Italy )
Sardinia
(Italy)
The Mediterranean Sea
off the coast of
Palamós, Costa Brava
(Spain)
+
The small peninsula of Ortigia is the historical heart of the city of Siracusa.
Much of the island's charm lies in wandering down narrow pictoresque
alleys and discovering your favourite abandoned Baroque palazzi where
weeds creep over dilapidated balconies.
I particularly like the decadent atmosphere of this once-grand villa which
embodies the wealth of times past and the blend of cultures and
architectural styles. It also conjures up a laidback lifestyle and love for
lovely gardens with cacti and palm trees in which to indulge yourself in a
hot summer afternoon.
A special place for me is …
Toronto Ontario
(Canada)
Sicily
(Italy)
Burgos
(Spain)
La Habana
(Cuba)
La Carizal. Asturias
(Spain)
Pompeii
(Italy )
Sardinia
(Italy)
The Mediterranean Sea
off the coast of
Palamós, Costa Brava
(Spain)
Asturian
(Spain)
beach
ASTURIAN BEACH
+
I don’t know when neither who took me to this beach for the very first time, but
this place is heaven on earth. I won’t tell you the name, it’s a secret. I want to
keep it just to myself. Golden sand, beautiful crystal clear water. This is where I
go when I want to unplug, unwind, and recharge.
Here’s one of my mornings on this beach, where the colors change every 30
seconds. Summer is all too short in Asturias, and scenes like this, all too fleeting.
A special place for me is …
Toronto Ontario
(Canada)
Sicily
(Italy)
Burgos
(Spain)
La Habana
(Cuba)
La Carizal. Asturias
(Spain)
Pompeii
(Italy )
Sardinia
(Italy)
Arequipa
(Peru)
The Mediterranean Sea
off the coast of
Palamós, Costa Brava
(Spain)
Asturian
(Spain)
beach
+ Arequipa (Peru)
Last summer I went to Peru with a group of friends and we spent the entire month visiting
different parts of the country. Lima, the capital, is an old multicultural city, but it is
permanently covered by grey clouds. Maybe that is the reason why I did not like it that
much.
Instead, Arequipa was the place I enjoyed the most. It is the second biggest city in the
country and it is located near the south border with Chile. During the summer it receives
lots of tourists interested in the natural environment that surrounds it. I had a great time
discovering its delicious gastronomy, going hiking in the mountains and walking down its
traditional streets – as the one in the picture.
A special place for me is …
Toronto Ontario
(Canada)
Sicily
(Italy)
Burgos
(Spain)
La Habana
(Cuba)
La Carizal. Asturias
(Spain)
Pompeii
(Italy )
Sardinia
(Italy)
Arequipa
(Peru)
The Mediterranean Sea
off the coast of
Palamós, Costa Brava
(Spain)
Asturian
(Spain)
beach
Beijing
(China)
+
Beijing
In September 2014 I moved from
Spain to Beijing, China. It was a big
change for me because it was the
first time I was going to live abroad
but it has turned out to be a very
enriching and interesting
experience. Beijing is a massive city
and it can take hours to get from one
part of it to another. Besides, it is
heavy polluted, so the sky is never
blue and on the worst days you
should better not leave your place.
One of the things that surprised me
the most was the huge amount of
bicycles. Everybody has one and
they usually ride it every day to go
to work… so often, as you can see in
the picture, you find yourself
completely stuck in the middle of
the road!