THE ADDAMS FAMILY: ITALIAN TOUR

The Addams Family has been travelling by Italy during some days. First, they visited Firenze (Florence) where they walked around the Dome and around the historical centre which was catalogued by UNESCO as World Heritage. They went to The Uffizi’s Gallery, Santa Maria di Loreto’s Church and The Palazzo Vecchio. In the Tuscany’s capital, they ate and drank local products and shared nice moments in other neighbour cities like Siena and Pisa, where they visited the Cathedral and The Leaning Tower.

More information: Some & Any Compounds

 

Next, they went to Venezia (Venice) where they sailed across the channels in gondolas and discovered the favourite city of Corto Maltese. They visited the Palazzo Ducale, the Rialto Bridge and San Marco’s Cathedral and walked across this incredible city plenty of history and art.

More information: Used to be

Finally, they arrived to Rome, the eternal city, where they relaxed between ancient ruins. They also visited other sightseen like the Fontana di Trevi, the Parthenon and the Tiber River, next to Castle Sant’Angelo and near The Vatican City.

More information: Shall & Should

More information: Relative pronouns

Now, The Addams Family has returned to Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona where they’re going to open a hotel and they are continuing with their English studies and reviewing some occupational hazards and employment.

Download Finding a job in Europe (A guide for jobseekers)

ANDREA: GREEK ADVENTUROUS

Andrea Addams practices parachuting

Andrea was born in Greece, country home of other famous people like Haris Alexiou, Maria Callas, Mikis Theodorakis, Aristotle and Plato.

Andrea is a parachute jumper and likes her job a lot. She can enjoy nature in a way that a few people can do it. She doesn’t know when or why she decided to be a parachute but she’s sure it was because of she lives in an island, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea and she had a lot of curiosity about seeing her island from the sky.

Nowadays, she’s with The Addams Family travelling around the world and every time she gets on a plane, she can’t avoid the idea of parachuting.

Since we cannot change reality, 
let us change the eyes which see reality.

Nikos Kazantzakis

LURDES: MONACAN BEAUTY

Lurdes Addams plays in Monte Carlo Casino

Lurdes was born in Monte Carlo, the capital of Monaco, one of the smallest countries in Europe very famous for its casinos, its car races and its tributes and taxes advantages.

She decided to travel around the world with the rest of the family to discover other sources of inspiration and other cultures. She was born in a small country and that’s the reason because of she has the necessity of visiting other places, although every time she does it, she misses much more her country and she need to return to her origins.

I work hard in social work, public relations, 

and raising the Grimaldi heirs.

Princess Grace

JORDI: MALTESE TEMPERANCE

Jordi with the Maltese Knights

Jordi was born in Mdina, near La Valletta (Malta). He’s a clown very popular in the world wide circus. 

Although he was born in this little and beautiful Mediterranean island, country home of other artists like Joe Sacco, the famous cartoonist or Corto Maltese, the wonderful hero, he moved to Cubelles (Garraf), near Barcelona, hometown of Charlie Rivel, his inspiration and idol.

Jordi is a clever person who knows what must choose and say in every moment, and thanks to this quick capacity of action-reaction, he reaches a lot of successes.

Malta is a marvellous country formed by three islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino. When you go to the island, don’t forget to visit the megalithic temples in Hagar Qim, Mnajdra, Ggantica, Tarxien and the Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni in Paola. They’re the most ancient prehistorical temples in Europe considered UNESCO World Heritage Sites, in the same way; you must visit the city of Mdina/Rabat and the capital, La Valetta where you will discover the incredible, mysterious and fascinating story of The Templar Knights of Saint John. You can also visit the Playmobil Factory and Playmobil Fun Park in Birżebbuġa.

Bil-kelma t-tajba tohrog il-far mit-tqajba

With a superb word you may make
the massive rat come out of a small hole

Maltese Proverb

LULÚ: RUSSIAN FORCE

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Lulú Addams with Han Solo & Princess Leia Organa

Lulú was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia and she’s a Jedi. It wasn’t easy arriving to this category but she had excellent masters like Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda. She learnt how to be patient, constant and how to choose the best moment to do things.

She’s a genius like other Russian: Yul Brynner, Yuri Gagarin, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Anna Pavlova, Rudolph Nureyev or Mstislav Rostropovich who have arrived to write their names in our history in the same way that Lulú will do it in the recent future.

She follows the knowledge of the Jedi and has an enormous mental force which helps her to reach her objectives. She has the strong of Han Solo, the temperance of Leia Organa and the constancy of Luke Skywalker and the best of her: she uses her force to help The Addams in their present way.

Do or do not, there is no try.

Master Yoda

GOODBYE EDINBURGH, WELCOME LONDON!

The Holmes visit Edinburg, Scotland

After visiting some incredible places in Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, like Arthur’s Seat, Royal Mile, Princess Street, Calton Hill or the Castle, and some other Scottish places, where The Addams Family has enjoyed its wonderful people, like Connor MacLeod; they went to Inverness to meet Nessie in Loch Ness. It wasn’t possible and then, they flew to London, the English capital, where they’ve spent some days.

They’ve visited emblematic places like Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, The Houses of the Parliament, the London Eye, Saint Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London and they went to meet the Queen, a Grandma’s friend, who had invited all the family to take some tea in Buckingham Palace.

It has been an interesting trip to improve their English and join to The Collins who received them in their majestic mansion, Downton Abbey. They have talked about environment and gender equality and they've done their first KET exams, too. It has been an intense week.

More information: First & Second Conditional

In a few days, the family is going to travel to Venice and Rome where they will continue its adventures and stories.

 

When you hear someone from the very north of Scotland speaking,

I think it's nice, very musical and harmonious.

Sean Connery

NÚRIA: SWISS EFFICIENCY

Núria Addams in Basel, Switzerland

Núria is The Addams Family’s jeweller. She’s quiet, shy and very hard worker as her fellow citizens. She was born in Basel, Switzerland the country home of other famous people as the actors Vincent Pérez and Ursula Andress; the tennis players Roger Federer and Martina Hingis; the mathematician and geometer Leonhard Euler, the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau or Hans Kamper, FC Barcelona, FC Zurich and FC Basel pioneer, player and club president.

Switzerland is well-known as a business country, centre of the most important world banks and owner of the gold reserves. Perhaps, for this reason, nowadays Núria is a jeweller. Her passion about jewellery, clocks and diamonds is enormous in the same way that she adores country life.

Living in Switzerland is synonymous of green grass lands, snow, cows and folkloric horns and languages: French, German, Italian and Romansh are the four official languages in a country plenty of nature and ancient history.

Watch Ne partez pas sans moi by Céline Dion

Ne partez pas sans moi laissez-moi vous suivre
Vous qui volez vers d'autres vies laissez-moi vivre
La plus belle aventure les plus beaux voyages
Qui menent un jour sur des soleils sur des planetes d'amour

Don't leave without me, let me follow you
You who fly to other lives, let me live
The most beautiful adventure, the most beautiful trips
That lead someday to suns, to planets of love

Céline Dion represented Switzerland in Eurovision (1988)

GOODBYE DUBLIN, WELCOME EDINBURGH

Molly Malone Statue, Dublin

The Addams Family has been some days in Dublin enjoying this beautiful city. They’ve visited Dublin Castle, Custom House, Ha’penny Bridge, Trinity College and Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. They also have visited the Molly Malone Statue and have sung the popular song altogether.

The Addams love popular traditions and to homage this girl, who is one of the most important Irish symbols, they have been composing little lullabies and beautiful tales plenty of imagination and mystery. They also have been working comparative, superlative and some modal verbs like must, have to, should and need.

Tonight, the family is in Edinburgh where they’ve arrived a few hours ago. They’re resting in The Balmoral Hotel after being received by 100 bagpipes in the airport.

During this travel to Dublin, the family has suffered the absence of Daniel, who was working in a new book and must stay in Sant Boi, but he’s going to join to the family again in Edinburgh, this wonderful Scottish city.

More information: Superlatives & Modal verbs

In Dublin Fair City, 
Where the girls are so pretty
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,
As she wheeled her wheelbarrow,
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh!”.

Molly Malone

ISABEL: ITALIAN SPONTANEITY

Isabel Addams

Isabel was born in Naples, in the Campania (Italia). She’s a strong and persistent person who represents a great metaphor of her city: happiness, survival and a bit of superstition.

Italia is a country with a whole influence in science and art. Musicians (Luciano Pavarotti and Enrico Caruso); filmmakers and actresses (Vittorio Gassman, Marcello Mastroiani, Totò, Rudolph Valentino and Sofia Loren); composers (Ennio Morricone); painters, sculptors and inventers (Sandro Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo Galilei); writers (Francesco Petrarch and Umberto Eco); anarchists (Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti) or fashion designers (Giorgio Armani and Guccio Gucci) have or have had a great influence in the world history.

Although, the Italian culture adores football and has important figures as Buffon, Baggio, Roberto Mancini or Del Piero, they also have an important presence in other sports. It’s the case of athletics where Isabel is an Olympic Champion. Her presence in the last Olympic Games in Sydney, Athens, Beijing and London was memorable winning 13 gold medals.

Nowadays, Isabel is retired and she enjoys her free time travelling around the world with her family: The Addams.

Watch Voce' e notte by Mina

 

Si 'sta voce te canta dint''o core
chello ca nun te cerco e nun te dico;
tutt''o turmiento 'e nu luntano ammore,
tutto ll'ammore 'e nu turmiento antico...

Ernesto De Curtis & Edoardo Nicolardi

LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO WAIT: LET'S GO!

Ireland

The Addams Family is happy. Lulú has come back. It has been fantastic and all of them are plenty of joy. In this moment, They're leaving San Francisco and boarding to Dublin, Ireland. They will arrive tomorrow at midday, if nothing happens and the weather is good.

Download San Francisco Guide

They have lots of English things to do because they’re reviewing the Past Simple and they must learn the entire irregular verbs list. It’s a hard work but nothing is impossible for this courageous family.

More information: Past Simple

Today, they have been talking about creating and destroying with two powerful tools: a pencil and a rubber. It’s true, dear family, a pencil is a great and dangerous tool because you can create, express, write, give an opinion, compose, draw, paint… Imagination is power and our family is plenty or artists.

Moreover, they have been discussing about this famous first impression in an interview and how you can earn the attention of your interviewer with the most innocent comment, action or gesture. Finally, they have been practising how avoid a lie, not saying all the truth.

Goodbye San Francisco and welcome Dublin, The Addams are arriving...

Mrs McGraw lived on the shore
And after seven years or more
She spied a ship come into the bay
With her son from far away.
Oh Captain dear where have you been
You been sailing the mediterranean
Have you news of my son Ted
Is he living or is he dead?

Mrs.McGraw (Irish Popular Song)

LULÚ: DO OR DO NOT, THERE IS NO TRY

Dear Lulú,

We are very sad with your decision. We don’t understand why you’ve gone, if you have everything here.

We love you more than your new friends and we think that you will stay better with us.

Here, you have more facilities than in the boat, more stability than in this travel…

You will be tired of this lifestyle because is very disrupted and it won’t like you.

Your cousin, Merche, The Little Addams, will be sad and alone without you and she will need you for the adventures.

May you return soon, because next week we are going to travel to Dublin.

We love you. Kisses.

The Addams Family

Goodbye Lulu won't be seein' you again
stole your pack and boots and bibs and left you on the tracks

Goodbye Lulu won't be seein' you again
you left home on a freight train you ain't never goin' back 

SAN FRANCISCO: SEE YOU SOON!

The Addams visit Sant Francisco, California

The Addams Family has been spending some days in San Francisco enjoying the weather and people of this wonderful city. The Addams have visited some sights like The Golden Gate Bridge and Park, Alamo Square and Lombard Street.

They have been eating in Fisherman's Wharf and playing with the sea lions in Pier 39. They also have visited Alcatraz Island where they've remembered Clint Eastwood’s film and bought some souvenirs in Chinatown. Finally, they have gone to watch a San Francisco Giants baseball match in AT&T Park.  

All things have gone well until Lulú has decided to go out with a hippie group. She wants to discover new experiences, places and people and doesn't doubt about joining them. The rest of the family is shocked and they’re working together to convince her not to leave them. We don’t know how Lulú will react to these appeals. We must wait for news.

More information: Future Simple & Comparative Adjectives

All across the nation such a strange vibration
People in motion.
There's a whole generation with a new explanation
People in motion people in motion.

Scott McKenzie

NAIARA: ROMANIAN MYSTERY

Naiara visits Hollywood, Los Angeles

Naiara was born in Alba Iulia, one of the towns in Transylvania (Romania) which still conserves its Latin etymology:  Alba (alba-ae) means “light” and Iulia means “consecrated to Jupiter” (Iovis). 

Jupiter was considerate the main god in the Roman mythology. The legend says that Jupiter liked creating handmade things and this is something that connects this god with Naiara, who is a carpenter, and adores working with wood and carve in it.

Romania is the country home of some genius like Nadia Comăneci, who won five medals in the Olympic Games and was the first athlete who reached a 10 mark; Badea Cârţan, a farmer who was an activist defending Transylvanian people rights against the Austro-Hungarian Empire; Herta Müller, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature or Vlad Tepes (aka Dráculae).

Naiara enjoys her work and during The Addams' trip to San Francisco, she decided to visit another acclaimed city: Los Angeles. She wanted to meet Carpenters, her favourite music group and spent some hours in Hollywood sharing time and knowledge with the Twilight’s cast to remember her ancestors.

  

Cine are carte, are parte!

He who has a book, has power.

Romanian Proverb

MÓNICA: CYPRIOTE PERSISTENCE

Mónica Addams

Mónica was born in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. She shares nationality with Eva Cyprus, one of the members of The Collins Family. Perhaps, because she was born in an island, she loves sailing and he has been travelling around the world since she was a child.

As a good Cypriot, she loves culture and art and she has been always interested in searching. This is the main reason of her work: finding gold for creating art. When The Addams Family decided to go to San Francisco in California, she was excited because she wanted to follow the ancient way of the American prospectors.

Maybe, she hasn’t paid attention but she already has got some gold ingots with an untold value: The Addams who love and protect her.

Dhendron bu lia men do fuase j’ en ispazi.

Don’t fear for the tree that leans for it won’t break.

Cypriot Proverb