Some spanish artists Today I'm going to tell you about some famous Spanish artists, which most of you already know. Francisco de Goya: He was born in Fuendetodos in 1746, but he lived for a long time in Madrid, where he depicted the people and events of his age. He painted 'La maja desnuda' ('The nude maja') which was his most famous piece of art. However, today the 'Pinturas Negras' (Black Paintings) are most celebrated due to being very innovative for that age. Pablo Picasso: He was born in Málga in 1881, nonetheless, he spent most of his adult life in France. He was not only one of the creators of Cubism but also one of the most influential artists of the XXth century. He painted 'Las señoritas de Aviñón' ('The young ladies of Avignon'), but his masterpiece is 'Guernica', an oil painting depicting German and Italian bombings on the city of Guernica during the Civil War of Spain. He was friends with Gertrude Stein and other authors living in Paris when he did. Diego Velázquez: He was born in Sevilla in 1599. He moved to Madrid and there he was proclaimed the court painter. His most famous work is 'Las Meninas' a baroque painting depicting some members of the royal family and the court but also Velázquez himself. He also did 'La rendición de breda' ('The surrender of Breda'), an image of The Eighty Years' War.

Learning languages The first language I started to learn was English. My first lesson was at school at age 8, and I continued my lessons till I was 18 years old. Now I'm 25 and I don't have a teacher, I'm learning by myself: I watch subtitled films, I listen to English music, etc. And now, thanks to italki I'm improving my writing skills. English is not the language I like the most, however, due to my career I have to learn it, and if possible, get Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) in the future. I've never been to an English speaking country, however, I'm planning to visit London this summer. I hope to practice a lot. I also want to go to Australia, New Zealand and the USA. I also study French. I like French a lot, I like how it sounds. In addition, it's easier to me to study it because it is similar to Spanish: both languages have evolved from Latin. I have traveled to France 10 or 11 times, I've visited Paris, Alsace, Pays de la Loire, Aquitaine, Brittany, Normandy, etc. I'd like to live in Toulouse and get a job in aeronautics. The third language I started to study was Japanese, and I did it on my own. Unfortunately I had to stop because I had to focus in my degree. I know Hiragana and Katakana and a few words. One of my dreams is to travel to Japan, I read many books about Japanese culture and history and I loved them. If I had to learn more languages, they would be Russian, German and Chinese. I only know some words in each of them, but life is very long and I want to keep improving my knowledge.

Some spanish music (vol.I) Today I'm going to tell you about my favorite Spanish (from Spain) songs. I do it because most of foreigners know only a few songs, which I use to hate, p.e: 'Macarena' or 'Aserejé'. So, here I made a little compilation: 'En blanco y negro': It was released by Barricada, a rock band from Pamplona. It talks about going out, getting drunk and arrive home late, but lyrics also have a lot of overtones. 'So payaso': It's a love song by Extremoduro, which is one of the most successful rock bands of Spain. Lyrics tell the story of a man who doesn't know how to treat his lover. 'Y sin embargo': This is a song about loving someone and liking other people at the same time. It was composed and sung by Joaquín Sabina. 'Tiempo': This is a rap song by Galician MC Aíd. It says how the concept of time can be abstract and incomprehensible. Music video was filmed in my hometown. 'La senda del tiempo': This song is about being tired of living, because of the lack of love. It was released by Celtas Cortos, a band from Valladolid with celtic influence. I hope you enjoy your listening!