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Andalusia or Andalucía?

The autonomous region of Andalusia (Andalucía in Spanish) is in the southern part of Spain. It spans from Atlantic coast in the west to the sheltered coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the east and from Málaga's Costa del Sol to the borders of Castilla – La Mancha the famous flat lands and Don Quixote windmill country.  With an average of 300 plus days of sunshine a year the coastal area is an all year round destination. Not so in the inland provinces of Cordoba, Jaen and Sevilla which ha ve baking hot summers that can reach +40c and cold winters which can be 0c or less overnight. The Mezquita, Córdoba Andalusia is divided into eight provinces, each with a provincial city of the same name. Some of them are far more famous than others: Almería , Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and Sevilla. The three land-locked provinces are Córdoba, Jaé n and Sevilla, the rest are coastal. Each province and city is full of culture, history, traditions, fabulous monuments and cre...
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My First Ever Ambulance Ride

The burly good-looking Norwegian guy stood looking down at me expectantly. I´d understood the ´Hi´ but the rest was a blank. It´s been many years since that feeling washed over me. A lost, useless, helpless mix swirling around inside. A weak smile and ´English?´ I asked.

Rather pleased I´d managed to speak in English this time. My normal response to not understanding the language spoken is to reply in Spanish. I know it´s wrong but my brain process goes something like - it´s not English, NOT ENGLISH, speak Spanish then, I do, and more confusion (and embarrassment) is born.

Oslo, sailing boats and Akershus Castle
Traditional Sailing Ships, Oslo. Akershus Castle in Background


I´d tripped over, hurt my knee and was limping along the pavement in Oslo when this Norwegian ambulance pulled up at the roadside. His English was excellent, as I found everywhere I went, and he was very practical (or I might have shown myself up even more) suggesting I should have my knee checked out and insisting he give me a lift to my destination when I negated the idea.

The best and cheapest tour guide and ride of my trip dropped me in front of the city hall, (the opposite direction to which I was heading) pointed out the quay and the sailing ship I was going on and vanished in his van. Pretty good service I´d say.

Hurting knee, wet muddy trousers, shocked and feeling rather sorry for myself I hobbled away. I hadn´t fallen over in years, I´d never ever been in an ambulance and I´d never been so far from home alone, so why I had to travel around 3,000 kms and sit on my backside in a plane for 4-hours each way for my first ambulance trip I dunno, I´ve just one complaint - I didn´t get to play with the sirens.


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