Top 5 winter getaways - outside Europe

/0 Comments/in , /by

1. Buenos Aires, Argentina

Buenos Aires is an old favourite at Cactus, and no more so than during the Northern Hemisphere’s winter, when this captivating capital of Argentina basks in a glorious Southern summer. You don’t need a thermometer to read the heat on the dance floor, however. As the world’s capital of tango, Buenos Aires plays host to the Buenos Aires Tango Festival at the end of February and the beginning of March; across the city and in the streets, you’ll be treated to hundreds of tango displays, many of them free, and there’s plenty of opportunity to join in too…

Spanish courses in Buenos Aires

2. Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

If there’s one thing to experience in South America, it’s Carnival in Rio. Taking place in 2011 from Sat March 5th to Tues March 8th, Carnival is an all-singing, all-dancing celebration like none you have seen before. With colourful parades, floats, balls, street carnivals and bands bringing the entire city to life, it’s not surprising that this is known as the greatest show on Earth. And all this under a hot Brazilian sky with golden beaches on the doorstep…this is one late winter escape to get in the diary now!

Portuguese courses in Rio de Janeiro

3. Sainte-Anne, Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is a little piece of paradise in the French West Indies. It’s the kind of place you’d go for an exotic beach holiday, not a language course…but yes, it’s really true, you could be learning imageFrench in the morning and chilling out on palm-fringed beaches in the afternoon. Add to this a good dose of Caribbean and Creole culture, and winter back home will soon be a distant memory.

French courses in Guadeloupe

4. Cairo, Egypt

If you want to forget about winter, work and even Christmas, look no further than Egypt. The instant you arrive you will be immersed in the hot and buzzing metropolis of Cairo, the mysterious Pyramids rising on the horizon and the River Nile luring you to its banks. This ‘City of a Thousand Minarets’, as it is known, is a fascinating center of religion, politics and culture, and makes for the perfect place to learn the beautiful, ancient language of Arabic.

Arabic courses in Cairo

5. Québec City, Canada image

If playing in the snow is your thing, then the Quebec Winter Carnival, held from January 28th – February 13th 2011, is the place for you. Coinciding with Mardi Gras celebrations elsewhere in the world, this is the world’s largest winter festival and is an absolute must for those who like the magical side of winter – adults and children alike. Enjoy horse-drawn sleigh rides, skating, dogsled races, magnificent ice sculptures, a children’s village, night parades and more. For a true ‘winter’ escape, it doesn’t get much better than this.

French courses in Quebec City

Cactus offers language courses, which can be combined with activities including dance, diving, cooking, wine tasting and sports, in over 30 languages, in 60 countries and 500 destinations worldwide.

Cactus’ top 5 destinations for food lovers

/0 Comments/in /by

Each country and culture has its own array of gastronomic specialties, but there’s no denying that some places are just synonymous with good food. Often, it’s countries with French, Spanish and Italian influences that boast a particular gastronomic prowess, but sometimes it’s even more specific than that…there are some cities in the world with cuisine that is quite simply on a different gastronomic level.

Here’s our pick of the cities that will have you salivating, enthusing… and returning home a stone heavier!

1. Bologna

To be the best city in the world for Italian food, it’s fair to say you’ll have come up against some pretty stiff competition. Bologna is famous the world over for its amazing cuisine though, and deservedly so. One of the tastiest and best-known dishes worldwide, Spaghetti Bolognese, originates from the city, which gives some indication of its pedigree. Bologna is also known for its salami and ham, although most things that you eat in the city will prove to be mouth-watering. It’s not just in the restaurants where you can find fine food though – there are countless food markets around the city where you can by top-quality produce to experiment with yourself. 

Bologna is located in the region of Emilia-Romagna, and to be honest the region as a whole is fairly impressive in food terms. From Bologna you can easily get to Parma – home of the famous ham, and, of course, Parmesan cheese, and Modena – the home of balsamic vinegar.

Sheer heaven for any food enthusiast…

More about Italian courses in Bologna

2. Valencia image

Located on Spain’s eastern Mediterranean coast, on the Gulf of Valencia, it’s no surprise that much of Valencia’s revered cuisine has seafood as its main component. In gastronomic terms, Valencia is probably best known for being the home of paella, probably Spain’s most iconic dish. Communal paella cooking and even paella competitions are common in festivals, especially in the Valencia region, and are great to behold and even better to taste if you get the chance! One of the great things about eating in Valencia, aside from the taste and freshness of the food, is that it’s really affordable. Great for the bank balance, not so great for the waistline!

Again, Valencia is home to some fantastic markets as well as restaurants. Of particular note is the central market, or Mercado Central de Valencia, which comprises 8000 square meters of market space inside the steel and glass building that is decorated with Valencian ceramic tiles. Well worth a look in itself…

More about Spanish courses in Valencia

3. Lyon image

Lyon may be France’s second city in terms of size, but when it comes to food it definitely takes the top spot – quite an accolade when you consider the prestige associated with French food internationally. Specifically, Lyon has made a name for itself as a capital of gourmet and luxury food, which is evident from the many Michelin-starred restaurants that you can find there. Aside from these, Lyon is also well known for its ‘bouchon’ restaurants. ‘Bouchons’ are a type of bistro, but with a fairly limited menu and a very unpretentious kind of décor. Most bouchons are family-run, and the majority of the chefs are women—the so-called ‘spiritual descendants’ of Mère Fillioux, Tante Paulette and Mère Brazier, and other female master chefs who helped Lyon achieve gastronomic glory early in the 20th century.

When you look at the vast array of local produce that is grown and made in the surrounding areas – fish from the Savoy lakes, fruits and vegetables of the Rhone valley and the wild game of the Dombes to name but a few – it’s no wonder really that the food in Lyon is so delicious.

One thing’s for sure…no matter how little money you have, heading to a fast food outlet in Lyon would be inexcusable!

More about French courses in Lyon

4. Buenos Aires image

Buenos Aires is a city that is famous for many things. Tango and football may be a couple but ask any self-respecting foodie what they associate with the city and there can only be one answer – STEAK.  Simply, what you’ll find in the restaurants of Buenos Aires is the undisputed king of steak. Cattle in Argentina graze in areas that have nutritious natural grass and lots of spacious, green pastures – as a result, the meat that is produced is free of additives and contaminants, and boy does it taste good.

There are hundreds of authentic and quality steakhouses to enjoy in Buenos Aires, but vegetarians need not worry, there’s plenty on offer for them too. With a strong Italian influence, the city has lots of fantastic pizza and pasta places, and recent years have seen an influx of quality Asian food places too.

There’s one more thing that you have to mention when it comes to Argentinean gastronomy, and that’s the wine…Argentina produces some of the world’s finest red wines, which you can enjoy at a bargain price in Buenos Aires.

More about Spanish courses in Buenos Aires

5. New York image

Think of a food associated with New York and you might say hot dogs, but really the city has no one signature dish or ingredient. This is hardly surprising when you think of the hugely diverse nature of the city, culturally. New York has always been a huge mix of ethnicities and nationalities, and that’s really the great appeal of its gastronomy. New York has a range of food and restaurants that you just won’t find anywhere else in the world – you could feasibly eat a different type of food each day of the year and still have some to try. Happily, the huge range of food available applies not only to tastes but to prices too…despite the high cost of living in New York, it’s still easy to find affordable eats to enjoy.

As is the case all over America, the size of the portions you’ll be served will make the eyes of any food lover bulge in excitement too. Remember though, you don’t have to wolf down the whole lot and give yourself indigestion – American restaurants are great advocats of the ‘doggy bag’, which you can take home and enjoy for a second time when you’re belt is back on its original notch!

More about English courses in New York

German evening course in Brighton: Client review

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Cactus client Dan Broadley tells us how he hopes his evening course in German will help him retrace his roots…

You would have thought, having German-speaking heritage, that I would have shown an interest earlier. You would have thought that, when faced with the option of studying either French or German at school for my GCSE’s, I would have thrown myself into some serious Deutsch! I didn’t! Not only did I shun my German speaking lineage, but to add insult to injury I went on to achieve a truly awful F grade in French! “Sacre-bleu!”.

My Grandfather, Erich Bauch, a German speaking Czech from the town of Teplice in the Bohemian region of Czech Republic, would be most aggrieved to learn that the extent of my German is currently limited to the very, very basics…and by basics I mean that I can say “guten tag”, “auf wiedersehen” and I do a mean “eins, zwei, drei”…and that’s pretty much it! A terrible state of affairs!

I’m sure that he tried to impart some basic German phrases on me – he even used to sing to me in German – but it seems that none of it sank in. So when faced with the opportunity of learning German with Cactus, I saw it as the chance to right a terrible wrong! My first lesson is in Brighton later this month and I can’t wait!

This year has already been one for reconnecting with my roots. In the Spring I travelled to the Czech Republic for the very first time and went to the town where my family once lived. We even found the old house that they, being Jewish, had to abandon when the Nazi’s invaded Czechoslovakia in 1939, forcing them to flee to England.

My Grandfather, only 15 at the time, was one of 669 mostly Jewish children rescued by Nicholas Winton (now Sir Nicholas), an English stockbroker who saw the plight of the Jews while on a trip to Prague. Winton arranged trains to take the children to England and found sponsors for them in the UK so that they had a place to live once they were here.

Winton kept his humanitarian exploits secret for many years and it was only when his wife found a scrapbook (complete with a list of all of the childrens’ names that he had saved), in their loft at their home in 1988, that his heroics were bought to light. My Grandfather was one of the extremely lucky ones who were not only saved, but who were actually reunited with their families once in the UK. He never really spoke of exactly how he came to England; I think looking back to that time was too upsetting for him. It wasn’t until after his death in 1998 that we found his name on Winton’s list.

Visiting my homeland this year for the first time was a truly amazing and emotional experience, one that I will never forget. It bought home exactly what my family went through and the terrible upheaval that they endured. The next step on my personal pilgrimage is to finally learn a language that I should have learnt a long time ago. I only hope that I can do my old Grandad proud! With the help of Cactus I’m sure that I can!

Dan has just started his 10-week German course, and will report back on his progress once it has finished…

Cactus runs evening and part-time language courses in schools across London and in cities nationwide. Courses are available in over 20 languages and on regular start dates throughout the year.

Strictly Come Dancing or X Factor?

/0 Comments/in , /by

Anyone who enjoys a little weekend television can’t fail to have noticed the competition between the dancing on one channel and the singing on another. As the programmes run in tandem, you have to make the choice – fancy footwork or velvety vocals?

When it comes to language holidays, however, you don’t have to miss a thing; you can strut your stuff on the dance floor one week, and sing your heart out the next. With this in mind, we’re bringing you our very own top 5 dance holiday courses, and top 5 locations that we think have the X Factor.

So, in no particular order, our top 5 finalists in each category are…

** Dance Holiday Finalists **

1. Buenos Aires, Argentina

Where else to learn tango than in the tango capital of the world. In Buenos Aires you can practise your ’ganchos’ and your ’ochos’ in ornate dance halls, dressed the part and with a professional Argentine partner. Go this winter and as added bonus you’ll enjoy the Southern Summer – perfect for enjoying impromptu tango displays on the streets outside.

Spanish & Tango in Buenos Aires

2. Salvador de Bahia, Brasil

In Brazil, dance is infectious. They seem to be born with an innate ability to wiggle their hips and move to music. Don’t be left out – on this unique course you can learn the dances of samba, forro and axe, as well as the mysterious Dance of the Orixas in Candomblé ceremonies. If there was ever an insight into the culture (that’s a whole lot of fun too), this is it.

Portuguese & Samba in Salvador de Bahia

3.  Havana, Cuba image

Impossible to talk about dancing without including Cuba, the home of salsa. With the beat of music seemingly emerging from every street corner, you’ll be itching to brush up your moves and join in the fun.

Individual Spanish & Salsa Course in Havana

4. Seville, Spain

Hot, sultry Seville in the heart of Andalusia is the perfect place to learn the most quintessential of Spanish dances, which has its roots here. You’ll not only learn to dance, but you’ll most likely also fall for the flamenco singing and guitar playing in one of Spain’s most charming cities.

Spanish & Flamenco in Seville

5. Cartagena, Colombia image

At nearly 500 years old, Cartagena is a real jewel of the Caribbean. Steeped in colonial history, covered with tropical flowers and home to beautiful beaches, you’ll have a spring in your step before you even set foot in your dance class.

Spanish & Salsa in Cartagena

** X Factor Finalists **

1. Sorrento, Italy

Overlooking the Gulf of Naples, on Italy’s stunning Amalfi coast, Sorrento is a beautiful place to visit whether or not you want to sing. But for those who fancy exercising their vocal chords, there is no better place to do so. With views over the sparkling sea to distant islands, Vesuvius rising in the haze on the horizon and pastel-coloured buildings clinging to spectacular coastline, Sorrento is nothing short of inspiring.

Italian & Singing in Sorrento

2. Jaco Beach, Costa Rica image

Jaco earns its spot here for being a true holiday location. Yes, you can learn Spanish while you’re here, but essentially you’re here to have fun, enjoy the stunning golden beach, go wild in the rainforest, catch some waves with some surfing, stretch your limbs with some yoga, and learn some cool photography tips. With an action-packed activities programme ensuring that you get out there and make friends with both staff and class-mates, Jaco Beach is a big favourite at Cactus.

Spanish courses at Jaco Beach

3. Berlin, Germany

For being at the forefront of industries including fashion, music, art and design, for its fascinating history and world-class nightlife, for its vast green parkland including forests and lakes, and for exuding a certain cult ‘edginess’, Berlin is truly deserving of x factor status. Added to this is the fact that the school is the only one in the whole of Germany to offer an on-site residence open year-round.

German courses in Berlin

4. New York, US

There are many who would argue that New York is the most exciting city in the world, a place where you can really live the dream. From a musical in Broadway to skating in Central Park, from brunch in SoHo to new year in Times Square, there is something for everyone in the city that never sleeps. It has had the X factor for years, and is likely to have it for years to come.

English courses in New York

5. Rouen, France

The small, family-run school that we work with in Rouen has just scooped the prize of Star French Language School at the 2010 Language Travel Awards in London – for the THIRD year running! French in Normandy, as it is called, is truly deserving of X factor status for its fantastic French language programme combined with excellent social and cultural activities.

French courses in Rouen

As for the winner of each category, well, that can go to a public vote. Leave us a comment and let us know which location is the winner for you!

Cactus offers language courses, which can be combined with activities including dance, diving, cooking, wine tasting and sports, in over 30 languages, in 60 countries and 500 destinations worldwide.

Japanese course in Tokyo: blog entry #1

/0 Comments/in , /by

Coming to Japan, there were many things that I was worried about.  As far as I could tell, I was the only American going to Japan through Cactus. Would I fit in? How am I going to communicate with my dorm mates? What will my classes be like? How will I survive three months without my parents or my dogs? Well, a week and a half has gone by and most of these fears have disappeared.

As it ends up, there’s another American in my dorm. Her name is Beverly. She’s really sweet and has helped me out a lot with conversational Japanese already. My other dorm mates are Chinese, but the dorm manager is Chinese and can speak English, so communication isn’t a problem. My room is nice; I have a shelving unit, a hanging unit and a balcony to hang my laundry. That’s something that I didn’t expect. Although driers are available, the Japanese don’t typically use them, so I had to go out and buy laundry clips.

They are very big on being environmentally friendly. Most people use public transportation. They also use cold water to wash their dishes – something that my mother thinks wouldn’t clean the dishes well enough. It’s really hard to throw trash away here because of all of their laws about it. But in my dorm, all of the trashcans are labeled, so it makes it easier.

Classes aren’t that hard either. We’re still in review, so who knows if it’ll pick up in the next week. Instead of switching classrooms and teachers like in America, we have the same teacher all day, but they change depending on the day of the week. We are in the same classroom every day with the same kids. My classmates are cool. They come from all over. The majority of my classmates are from China and France. The other countries represented are Colombia, Spain, Sweden, Australia and Belgium.

I miss my family and my dogs very much, but Beverly showed me this place called Nekorobi. The best way to describe it is a cat café. Literally it’s a room with twelve cats and you pay by the hour to sit, play with them, and eat or drink. It really helped with my pet/home sickness. I think it’s really cool that Japan has things like that and I look forward to discovering more interesting places in Tokyo.

Dana is studying Japanese in Tokyo with Cactus. Cactus offers language courses in over 30 languages, in 60 countries and 500 destinations worldwide.

We will be posting another blog entry by Dana mid-way through her course and at the end of her stay in Japan. For anyone thinking about taking a language course abroad, this offers a unique insight into life in a foreign country, including the fears and excitement that come with a long-term course. Thank you to Dana for contributing to our website!

Dying languages of the world: where they exist and why they should be saved

/0 Comments/in /by

This makes for quite a shocking statistic, especially as it gives an indication of just how many languages there are out there. It’s often assumed that there are only one or two main languages per country, but in fact, some countries are home to hundreds of languages – Papua New Guinea, for example, is now estimated to have over 800!

The article states that of the 7,000 –odd languages spoken around the world, somewhere between 60-80% are not yet documented. Unfortunately, it’s often the case with solely oral languages that when the people who speak it die, so too does the language.

Whilst there can be interesting structures within the language that it’s a shame not to have access to any longer, the main regret when languages die out is that the detailed cultural knowledge that these languages embody also disappears. Many of the cultures that use undocumented languages live in remote areas of the globe, which have not been extensively explored over the years, and which we therefore still know little about. These include places within Alaska, South America, India and the South Pacific, for example.

You may be forgiven for thinking that with access to remote areas much easier these days, the language and culture of these peoples might be easier to pass on than previously, but in fact the opposite seems to be true. As outside influences creep in to traditionally closed cultural peoples, and globalisation takes hold, they are being forced to learn global languages to be able to live in and communicate with the modern world. If it’s easier and more useful to learn the likes of English or Spanish, it’s natural that the usage of traditional, local languages will suffer.

The article on the Wall Street Journal website refers to a book compiled by K David Harrison and his team of linguists who traveled around the world to interview the few remaining speakers of languages all over the world.  Read the full article for details of places visited, and for a video to accompany the piece.

Metro-UK - 4 October 2010

/0 Comments/in , /by

This full-page article written by Lisa Scott, Travel Editor at The Metro, looks at options for learning a language on the move.  It covers a variety of courses around the world, as well as including some interesting facts about languages in general.  Lisa writes: “Learn French while surfing in Biarritz.  Your language classes will take place in the morning, leaving the afternoons free for surfing. £829 for two weeks – https://www.cactuslanguage.com.”

France Magazine - October 2010

/0 Comments/in , /by

This three-page article, written by Eve Middleton, takes an in-depth look at Cactus’ wine tasting course in Toulouse, from descriptions of the city and school, to the excitement of learning French on location. Eve comments: “Whether you’re new to learning French or you simply just want to brush up on your grammar, the prospect of a language course in France with day-long intensive classes can be somewhat daunting.  A more palatable option is to combine traditional study with a vocational option – not only does this allow you to solidify your syntactical foundations, it all means you can practise your French outside the classroom.  With France’s long-standing reputation for producing some of the world’s best wines, I chose to sample the country’s finest vintages with a combined language and wine course from Cactus Language at the Langue Onze language school in Toulouse.”

French courses in Poitou- Charentes: La Rochelle

/0 Comments/in /by

Upon further consideration, they will no doubt remember it as the home of the fictional Dhome family, and of course, ‘Claude Le Clochard’, made famous by the series of ‘Tricolore’ textbooks.

La Rochelle though, has much more to brag about than its association with a fictional family and dubious smelling vagabond…

La Rochelle is one of those real hidden gems of a city. Located about half way down the west coast of France, in the Charente-Maritime region, it is a dynamic university city that has bags to offer both inhabitants and tourists alike.

Good news then, that it has recently been added to Easyjet’s list of summer destinations.

One of the real highlights of this lovely seaside resort is its famous harbour and two towers – key to the city’s defence in the Middle Ages. For many centuries La Rochelle was one of France’s main ports, and in fact it was this city that the Knights Templar made their all-important Atlantic base. La Rochelle is often considered to be one of the most unspoilt seaside towns in France, and has successfully managed to retain its great sense of history and beautiful old buildings.

Whilst La Rochelle stands out for its great historical significance, it is also home to some contemporary features that are equally as impressive – namely its shopping and its entertainment scene. Bars and restaurants can be found aplenty, and are great for seafood-lovers especially!

image

For anyone spending more than a weekend in La Rochelle, the nearby Île de Ré is also well worth a visit. Connected to La Rochelle by a 2.9 km long bridge, this beautiful island boasts an array of sandy beaches and a very relaxed atmosphere. It’s a great place for outdoor enthusiasts especially, with its many campsites, mass of cycle paths and huge range of watersports.

More about French courses in La Rochelle