Fernando: My view of Glasgow

From the outset of my trip to Glasgow I was well aware of the trouble of understanding Scottish accent properly, but I had no idea of the complexity of the task I was going to undergo. When I flew into Edinburgh Airport, I took a bus to Buchanan Bus Station. The Express Coach was certainly comfortable, with a very convenient timetable (departures every 30 minutes). I sat on one of the front seats in order to have a better view of the road and also to listen to what the two bus drivers were talking about. 

To my dismay, I immediately realized that I couldn’t understand a word. I took a chance on another place so that I could focus my attention instead on three cheerful, lovely ladies in their mid-seventies sitting next to me. They were exchanging jokes with the bus drivers and having fun all the time, and funnily enough, not without a big struggle, I managed to understand this phrase: “Just in case he were to kiss me” after half an hour eavesdropping their conversation. It seemed to me that I was listening to a Germanic language and the whole situation was utterly frustrating to me as a student of English. In that precise moment I felt how much I missed the accent of our dear Chris, so clear by comparison with his fellow countrymen.  

The Royal Concert Hall

On arriving at the hotel I was scared I wouldn’t understand the language to talk about my reservation and stuff. Luckily, the guy on the reception desk had a mild accent that gave me the opportunity of grasping the explanations somehow without being committed to accepting something different from what I had booked. I was determined to do the same things I do whenever I travel, namely, apart from watching the main tourist attractions while observing the locals’ day-to-day life and, if possible, talking to them, as every tiny detail matters to me because I always learn so much just by noticing what happens around me.

Buchanan Galleries

The hotel was perfectly situated in the city centre, next to the Buchanan Bus Station, which is something really convenient as you can walk around the whole city centre. Heading down to Buchanan Street you can find, barely 400m away, the Royal Concert Hall, where the most important artistic events take place. I am not interested in shopping at all. However, my wife wanted to have a look at the famous Buchanan Galleries Shopping Centre and I must admit that it is a magnificent building where you can buy all kinds of stuff. Buchanan Street Subway and Queen Street Train Station are almost next to each other, which gives you the chance to wander around the metropolitan areas and also outside the city. 

Glasgow is a bustling city indeed, as there are a lot of people on the streets coming and going but the majority of them were locals, I mean, there were very few tourists, which is quite the opposite to what happened in Edinburgh. Truth to be told, I must confess that I had no objection to that at all. 

The City Chambers

It is not my intention to provide a full description of the history of the most representative buildings of the town. Nevertheless, to my mind there some places that are well worth visiting and all within walking distance: George Square, The City Chambers, The City Halls (a concert hall), The Cathedral and of course of the museums, in particular the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum (by the way most of them are for free). 

The impressive Kelvingrove Museum

Breakfast is the most important meal for me and I always like to have a good one which gives me fuel to go through the day so I booked a room with breakfast included and fortunately it was a buffet one, with a wide variety of food. So every morning I felt energetic enough to walk across the streets, which is, in my opinion, the best way to know a town and what I did at least the two first days, until my wife, unable to follow my steady pace, refused to take part in such an adventure. Consequently, the following days we took the underground, which pleased her so much. The tube has a circular trajectory, with only two lines, inner and outer, and although it can be rather noisy and certainly old, it is doubtlessly easy to handle the itineraries. I continued eavesdropping conversations wherever I went in the hope of grasping something more of the difficult Scottish accent and whenever I could I engage myself in small chats with some local people. 

Oran Mor. A pub, can you believe it!

At this point I have to remark that the Scottish are extremely kind and helpful and I witnessed that behaviour: on every occasion I was in the middle of a street checking my map for directions someone would turn up offering useful explanations. Wherever I went I would read every lettering, banner ad, indication or recommendation in museums, train and bus stations, as well as at the airport, the subway, in churches, restaurants and so on. It is amazing how much English you can learn by simply reading the banners!

Glasgow is a city where you can find people eating at every hour of the day until 8 or 9 pm, when the restaurants and bars become half empty. (I must say that I am in favour of timetables, and it is no problem for me to have dinner early. In Spain many people have dinner at 10 or 10.30 and sometimes this can be unhealthy and certainly not practical at all.)  I like knowing the customs of the places where I go as much as possible so I ate the food that the locals tend to eat. As my wife and I wanted to meet a young man who lately we had heard of a lot, we made a reservation to have dinner in a wonderful pub. If I may, I would like to write its name, “Oran Mor”, at the top of Byres Road Street (Hillhead Subway Station). I highly recommend this place to those who want to visit Glasgow, where you can enjoy your meal while admiring a rather unusual environment.

As a regular listener of the BBC, I had to visit the headquarters of BBC Scotland on the other side of the river Clyde. It is a superb, modern building overlooking the river, which reflects its waters on the glossy windows. It is situated by The Science Museum and there was a lot of construction and activity going on where the City Council is currently transforming the area into a modern and dynamic development, highly beneficial to the image of the city. When I saw all of that, a sad thought came to mind and I said to my wife: “there is money here, a big amount of money. I wish I could say the same thing about our country”. 

The modern Science Museum on the banks of the Clyde

In my short experience, it seems to me that Glasgow has huge potential in the future of Scotland, together with its industrial activity and its three increasingly competitive universities (The University of Glasgow, Strathclyde University and Glasgow Caledonian University) as well as a dynamic transport system essential to create wealth.

The magnificent University of Glasgow 

On balance, honestly I must say that Glasgow’s main asset is, without a doubt, its people, very friendly and welcoming, but to my mind also very different from those in the south of the country. I’ll always have fond memories of Glasgow as a place different from the rest.

Fernando, I've thanked you many times before for your invaluable contribution to our blog and I'll do it once again. A beautifully-written post indeed.

You know, I visited Glasgow with some of our language school students in April 2013, almost 28 years after my first and only visit, and I couldn't believe how the city had changed, much to my surprise. I must admit Scotland's biggest city is like paradise for architecture (both modern and classic) lovers, from the ground-breaking work by the great Charles MacKintosh to the awesome modernistic buildings scattered along the banks of the River Clyde. 

I'm sure I could mention many more places that made an impression on me but I guess the photos above are a good example of Glasgow's charm. However, if you are not satisfied and wish to see some more snaps I took myself (this time on my daughter's compact Canon) during the school trip last year, click on this link.

Fernando: A SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN RIBADAVIA

Some years ago I was working in in Galicia. I must admit that I really have fond memories of the place because it is an amazing place to live in. Apart from its breathtaking coastal areas, unspoiled beaches and well-known landmarks, Galicia has surprising places and villages off the tourist traps, unknown to many people, where you can find very friendly locals, delicious food and inviting landscapes. 

During the time I spent there I used to travel to remote little villages as well as bustling cities and big villages in order to know more about what life was like in that particular part of the country that I love so much. So on a cloudy November afternoon, after an early lunch, I drove with three colleagues of mine to Ribadavia in Orense’s province. We enjoyed ourselves while wandering around the village and its surroundings, visiting the main tourist attractions and shopping for exotic local stuff in an open market. 

At 9 pm, as we were about to leave the village, we stumbled across a stone building with no windows and a big wooden door, which apparently seemed to be a small chapel, although there were no crosses or religious symbols outside that indicated it could be. We could hear male voices singing from inside, so we guessed that it was presumably a choir doing some rehearsal. One of my colleagues, curious enough to know was going on inside, pulled the door smoothly. We saw a group of middle-aged men sitting in a rectangular wooden desk full of food and drinks. On seeing us they stopped singing immediately.” Sorry, we didn’t mean to disturb. We wrongly thought that this building was perhaps a chapel. Please, carry on with the party"- said my colleague. One of the men stood up and told us “Come in, we have an excellent wine that is worth tasting”. We politely refused the invitation, but the man insisted on his offer.  He said to us: “On the left there is red wine, the white wine is on the right and there is also some cheese and pasty on the cupboard on both sides", so we guessed that the place could be either a bar or a wine shop.

We diffidently approached the cupboard where there were several chipped taziñas and filled them with wine. It was extraordinarily tasty and so were the cheese and the empanada. The men continued enjoying the party oblivious of our presence and the one who was apparently in charge seemed to take no notice of everything we were drinking and eating. Therefore, I wrote down in a small piece of paper everything that we drank and ate. The wine was extremely soft and light as usual in that kind of wine (Ribeiro) so we almost gulped down the two first taziñas and, after drinking several more, we ended up joining the party. We had good fun, as the men were making amusing comments and telling jokes, some of them in gallego. In fact, though they were speaking the language most of the time, it wasn’t a problem for us at all because we could understand it easily, and all of us liked the Galician language.

At 10.30 pm, after an exchange of pleasant, polite comments among us, all the men stood up and said goodbye. They left the building apparently in a hurry, considering the mess on the table, where there were some leftovers, half empty taziñas, an untouched piece of bread, a cardboard box full of red apples, as well as homemade apple pie, a small box of cigars and many other things together with dirty dishes. We immediately thought that the man in charge would come back soon in order to clear up all the stuff. Nevertheless, after half an hour no one did, so we went outside in the hope of seeing someone but the street was completely deserted and silent. The only sound was a dog barking into the distance.  We were alone and, much to our surprise, we found out that the entrance door could only be locked from inside the building and obviously we didn’t want to leave the bar without locking it. So, to our astonishment, we were holding the fort of a wine shop for a while. In the meantime, we refilled our taziñas once again and, truth be told, we were almost drunk and having a great time. 

At 11.30 pm we still soldiered on, but we had to make a decision sooner or later. At midnight, we heard the sound of a door opening just behind one of the barrels. We stood up immediately and ran towards there. A tall, well-built man in his early seventies appeared in the threshold of a hidden door. He had grey hair and blue eyes and, though he was wearing a creased shirt, there was something smart in his presence. “Good evening, gentlemen”, he said to us. “It is two minutes past midnight and I’m afraid I have to close our wine cellar right away. I have a date with a very attractive lady and I just can’t wait to see her”. And he immediately started quoting famous sentences from well-known writers which spoke about love. We had a nice chat with him.  He seemed to be a learned person indeed, actually a retired man who spent his time growing his vineyard and sharing the wine with his friends. He lived in a house next door which had a direct access to the cellar. He told us that his friends would come back tomorrow morning to tidy up. He refused to take any money from us but we reached an agreement and left some money inside an empty cigar box as maintenance expenses before saying goodbye.

On our way to where the car was parked, we found a fountain in the middle of a park. I put my head under one of the streams. The cold water cleared my head and my body somehow to help me drive sober. I’ve always been a careful driver and right then I wouldn’t dare be drunk at the wheel for two reasons: it is too risky and also you can put your life and the lives of others in danger.  At about four we managed to go back home safe and sound.

It was an unforgettable experience which perfectly encapsulates my idea of traveling. Every trip means for me knowing new places, meeting new people and living experiences that otherwise I wouldn't live at home and, inevitably, open my mind and my readiness to embrace change.

Fernando, I really love this post, congrats! It perfectly illustrates what "the tiny wonders of life" mean, very much like we discussed in our lessons today. It's only a shame you did't take any pictures of the lively choir or the party you shared with those welcoming villagers.

So come on, guys. Can you share with us any more travel experiences like this? I'm sure you can recall a few, can't you?

Fernando: Me and Maths

At primary and secondary school I didn’t use to like Maths. In fact, I had trouble to understand the intricacies of reasoning, logic and performing calculations with mathematical formulas, and consequently, for some reason or another, I just wasn’t be able to grasp the complexity of the subject and I scraped through my exams.

But right now, with hindsight, I wonder whether it was my fault or the then predominant teaching methodology of mathematics. Reflecting on this issue, I can remember vividly how scared I was during the time I spent learning the subject, as well as many of the other boys in the classroom. After every explanation, the teacher would ask a pupil at random to go to the blackboard and put into practice everything he had previously explained. As the majority of us didn’t properly catch on the whole idea of the teacher’s explanation properly, we simply couldn’t do anything right. We used to be scolded or the target of unkind comments like this “You have no idea about this matter we are talking about.  Go straight back to your desk!” With such a discouraging situation we immediately got rattled, our heart pounding, all of us (was) with the head bent down, almost hidden behind the back of our previous classmate, our eyes fixed in our wooden desk and avoiding catching the teacher’s eye. I couldn’t imagine a more unpleasant task at school because learning new things has always been a real motivation which encourages me to go ahead but certainly not in that way. Only the lucky few, those who were good at maths and passed the exams effortlessly with top marks, kept their heads high and were always willing to be asked.

I felt both frustrated and helpless, as it such a manner of learning was totally unacceptable to me, but I was in a position of weakness so I could do nothing but obey. Was there a point in teaching a subject for only a handful of students? What happened with the rest? Was the subject perhaps so complicated to reach such failure? To answer these questions I have to remark that the most difficult task is to get mathematics into something perfectly understandable for everyone and being skilled enough to do it successfully - and that’s the bottom line. Getting the students interested in the subject is a key factor, always looking for the bright side of things as well as speaking in practical terms. And, above all, it is pivotal to bear in mind that at school teachers are somehow moulding their students’ mindset and attitude. So that’s the reason why they have to make the subjects easier from the first stages, and in this way inspire students to do better while sorting out the difficulties, as well as to make them far more confident. Otherwise, distressing teaching procedures end up in failure inevitably.

At that time, maths and physics played greater importance. I have no doubt of the role of these subjects in kids’ education, as they are absolutely necessary in conjunction with the rest. However, if you didn’t know maths properly, you were considered as a second-rate student, no matter how good you were at Spanish Language, let alone Physical Education or History or whichever other subject. The most important thing was maths and physics. 

Only when I was finishing secondary school did I manage to understand maths properly and pass my exams successfully. It was with the help of a private teacher who made a living giving lessons at home to six students in each turn. The room where the classes took place didn’t have enough natural light, so a big ceiling lamp was on all the time right above our heads. The teacher was a heavy smoker of cigars, and there was always a smoky atmosphere inside. When you first entered the room you had the impression of being in an illegal poker game. But it was there where I learnt the basics of mathematics. That man was incredibly good at explaining the main concepts of mathematical reasoning. By logical deduction he used different paths to get to the same point. He always made sure that all of us followed the whole process of resolving mathematical problems from top to bottom until we got a clear understanding of everything. I really think that he did enjoy teaching maths and took an enormous pleasure in doing so, and quite naturally he got me interested in maths, yet too late I’m afraid. I have fond memories of him and I wish I had had the chance to meet that extraordinary teacher at primary school and maybe the trouble with maths would never have happened to me.

Thanks Fernando, we have missed you since you had that unfortunate accident, and we hope to see you back in the classroom very soon. I also missed your posts for our blog so it feels great to publish this new entry.

It's rather funny that I felt more or less the same as you during my teenage years at secondary school. You know, maths were always kind of a mystery to me, and I just liked arithmetics, which I've always been pretty good at. I must admit some of the teachers I had didn't help make the subject more appealing to me either, and when I was at COU I also needed the help of a good private teacher to make the grade - but only just! Fortunately, I decided to study English Philology, even if I had opted for the science branch in my secondary education - I was so confused in those days as to what I had to study!

Fernando: MADRID'S MARATHON 2009

I’ve been cycling since I was 18 and, about ten years ago, I started running as well. Doing sport on a daily basis makes feel good and full of energy. I must admit that running is sort of an addictive experience because, by an internal process, we liberate natural substances called endorphins, which are the direct reason why we feel good and relaxed. It is an increasing activity which attracts millions of people from around the world. As human beings we were born to run, so it is up to us to develop or not this skill. You can run whenever and wherever you want, alone or with other runners while enjoying and sharing the same feelings. At the same time it is a way of forgetting our everyday problems and finding out possible solutions to them. I have to say that my best ideas pop up into my mind while I’m running and also it is an excellent way of reflecting alone with your own thoughts. For many reasons running does have beneficial effects in both our body and our mind. 

The thing is that a colleague of mine persuaded me to take part in the capital's marathon. And running one for the first time is certainly a challenge. Therefore, I was completely aware of the target, but what worried me most were my real chances of coping with such a hard race. Nevertheless, the more I thought about the difficulties, the more determined I became to overcome them. I’m the kind of person who likes taking challenges in life, so accepting that new experience meant a stimulus indeed.

To start with, I made my own training plan and for four months before the race took place I was doing the following sessions; first day 18 km, second 10 km, third 18 km, fourth 10 km, fifth 18 km and, after that, two days of resting. Despite the fact that I did some really hard work in order to be fit, very often I asked myself the same question: “Will I be able to finish the race?“, and  sometimes while I was running I mulled over the idea. To answer this question somehow, one day my colleague Emiliano (the one who convinced me to join this adventure) came around where I was doing some stretching exercises and said “We need to test our strength and also  whether we are ready to face the race”. Consequently, we are going to do 30 km.”  It was a month and half before the race, and the idea of running this distance seemed to me reasonable and challenging at the same time. So on a cloudy morning my wife drove us to La Aldehuela de la Bóveda, and we came back to Salamanca running along the road. We did well, and, as a result, I felt a little bit more confident about the possibility of success during the big test.

April 29, 8.30 am, the critical moment had come at last. The weather was cloudy indeed but the temperature appeared to be warm. I was at the starting point at Paseo de Colón in a line of eleven thousand runners that stretched back almost into Atocha Train Station. And right now I can remember vividly how that morning I had mixed feelings about the experience I had to deal with. I was pretending to be calm; however, I felt nervous, excited and really disappointed as well because my colleague couldn’t take part in the race due to a ligament damage, precisely in that very moment when I needed his help and support. The smell of Vaseline came from the runners’ bodies; many of them were doing warm-up exercises, jumping or relaxing their muscles. I could feel the excitement, and everyone was looking forward to the start of the race. At the gunshot, the long crowded line of runners started to move slowly towards Paseo de la Castellana. To my despair, ten minutes later heavy drops of rain began to fall and, after four km under the rain, all the runners were soaking wet and running in such weather conditions can be the most unpleasant thing to do as well as extremely uncomfortable. Luckily, in the 10th km it stopped raining and immediately my spirits lifted as well as the rest of the participants’. 

For several kilometres I was running alongside a guy, so I decided to have a conversation with him. He was an   experienced runner, and therefore I told him my doubts about the race. He asked me some questions about my training, weight, lifestyle, capacity for enduring effort and so on. In the end, he simply wanted me to enjoy the race. That was what I did from the beginning, because running on the streets of Madrid without traffic is a real pleasure to those who love this fantastic city. The mood among the runners was excellent, as everyone was incredibly helpful giving advice on how to go ahead properly, how to avoid injuries, while also remembering events from other races, telling jokes or simply greeting onlookers. In this way, I continued running and talking with my new mate, who was a friendly guy and I immediately felt comfortable with. My breathing was good and my legs seemed to be all right.

In the 30th km we had to face a psychological barrier, where there is sort of a battle between your body and your mind. In this crucial moment, usually you feel worn out and it is your mind that plays the predominant role in this part of the race; this barrier is well-known to all runners as “The wall”. My excellent mate offered me some liquid energy food in order to get over “The Wall” but I refused because it was kind of heavy food that could damage my stomach. I couldn’t believe it, but I managed to get over it full of energy, and my breathing was still regular, as we went past “La Casa de Campo”. I kept drinking water during the whole race even if I weren’t thirsty, so in every provisioning post I drank part of the bottle in order to avoid dehydration. 

When we reached the 35th km, my fellow runner said: “We have seven kilometres to go, so now we are going to increase the speed a little bit. How do you feel? Are you ready to make an extra final effort?". And without thinking of the effects properly, I agreed. And we started to overtake runners, many of whom were really exhausted, some asking for medical assistance; others had stopped running and, to my astonishment, I saw a guy, wearing a white T-shirt covered with blood, who continued running with impressive determination. There were many people in the streets giving their support and encouraging us to go ahead by waving and gesturing. In the 40th Km, we got to “La Puerta de Alcalá”, so we were about to finish the challenge and very close to succeeding. I could see the joy of the runners, who were helping each other to achieve our target - at long last: to run 42 km. and 195 m. and commemorate the heroic effort of a Greek soldier called Philippides, who died after running 37 km. from Marathon to Athens to announce the victory against the Persian Army. As it happened, very near to the final point, I was able to see my wife and two daughters on the left side of the street. I was delighted so I waved at them by raising my right arm. Eventually, I could see the finishing line, and everyone increased the pace in order to get to our longed-for destination, and the very moment I crossed the line I felt a blissful man. It was like a dream come true. 

It took me 3 hours and 20 minutes to run the whole distance. I thanked my mate for his valuable help and I said goodbye to him. For me that marathon it was not only an excellent way of proving myself, but also of improving my mental strength, with really beneficial psychological effects. It was one of the things that has given me the greatest pleasure as an achievement and, above all, it was an amazing experience of endurance and perseverance, as well as discipline and effort.


Thanks Fernando! I've always looked up to long-distance runners for their effort and unwavering determination, and I still remember some truly epic scenes during the marathon event at the Olympic Games: Athletes crossing the finishing line almost agonizingly, in such physical and mental pain. You can't help but admiring them for their courage (and amazing stamina!). So I'm sure that marathon you ran in Madrid is an unforgettable memory, which makes you feel so so proud of yourself. Congrats!

Fernando: THE MORUCHA BREED

Salamanca is a worldwide-known city, famous for its main landmarks, like the old University, the breathtaking Plaza Mayor, the Old Town and, of course, its magnificent cathedrals. All in all, it is a place full of history, where significant events in the past changed the course of modern life somehow. It is considered an appealing city to live in for many reasons, too many to mention right now. There will be a more propitious moment to say something about how life is in this small town, because the purpose of this post is rather different.

I intend to remark that my homeland has other treasures, unfortunately unknown to many. One of them is its beautiful province, which is formed basically by four different landscapes: The Armuña, the Arribes del Duero, the Sierras of Béjar and Francia and the Campo Charro. According to senior geographers, there are even more. However, I want to simplify them in order to get a better understanding. I am going to focus on” El Campo Charro”, a landscape which is an extended area comprising the south of Salamanca, Vitigudino, Ciudad Rodrigo and Linares de Riofrío. It is a marvelous landscape full of oaks, cork oaks and, above all, our mighty “encina” (Quercus ilex, holm oak). This unique tree is evergreen, as it never loses its leaves and gives a very singular, rich fruit called “bellota” (= acorn). The vast majority of this particular zone is a meadow where a fine, nutritive pasture essential to animal feeding grows. The perfect combination between “encinas” and meadows provides a remarkable view whenever you contemplate it, no matter what season of the year you choose. This is an area where a very specific kind of cows lives: ”The Morucha breed”.

To be honest, prior to writing something about this issue, I must admit that I am certainly not an expert. Therefore, the aim of this entry is to give sort of a general outline on what these cows are like to those who do not know them yet. Consequently, to identify them at first sight, first of all, it is important to mention that they have two different types of hair, black and grey, but both share a common characteristic, which is having a black mouth. But what strikes you most about these singular animals is their long, white upright horns with black ends. They are big-sized cows indeed, with a short neck and the whole body in an almost rectangular shape. This livestock is extremely agile, as they are able to trot, even to gallop whenever any circumstance makes them shy away. Additionally, all of them have an expressive look and graceful movements, which you can notice it, if you just take the time to make an accurate observation. Their extraordinary adaptability to extreme weather allows them to live freely in open spaces such as ours, with cold winters and hot summers. At the same time, their strong maternal instinct, together with their fertility and longevity, make these creatures almost a perfect breed.

As I have said above, these cattle live freely, not in intensive or battery farms, and eat naturally. Fundamentally, their food comes from pasture, fodder, dry cereals and acorns, creating a perfect ecosystem that contributes to developing a good environmental protection. So the meat these cows provide is undoubtedly a very healthy, full of flavour and surprisingly tender at the same time. I highly recommend tasting it to those who have not done it yet.

Nowadays, many governments are studying how to encourage people to change their eating habits, because an unhealthy diet is considered a global problem. For that reason, all of us should use quality ingredients in our meals and be aware of how bad fast food is. To me a balanced diet means eating the right amount of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals that can protect you from illness, and to have a good physical-mental health.

Finally, I should emphasize that our country has excellent and healthy products. To my mind, the Mediterranean diet is the best choice, instead of imitating bad eating habits from overseas. That is what so many people are doing unwittingly, and going along this path is plain wrong, no doubt, which will have serious consequences in the near future.

Thanks, dear fernando, for this enlightening post about our native breed, whose tender meat I always relish whenever I order it in a restaurant. I guess I'll do even more from now on!

Fernando: Scientific advances

I have always felt deep respect and admiration for the men and women that somehow have made life easier and healthier for the rest of their fellow human beings. In many cases, they have devoted half their lives to achieving a specific aim.

Manuel Serrano, a leading Spanish cancer researcher

Chemistry research at UCLA

To my mind, nowadays people - generally speaking - enjoy scientific advances as something that they take for granted. It is kind of an entitlement which is considered part of our common heritage. However, behind every human invention, a medical breakthrough or a scientific advance, there is, without any doubt, a huge amount of work. So all of us should take into account that it is normally a silent and often tedious task which necessarily requires time, effort and dedication, as well as endurance, determination and commitment. On top of that, researchers must keep going steadily, in spite of the many difficulties they have to overcome. But the toughest time comes when they are very close to succeeding and something wrong happens unexpectedly. In that precise moment, they have to retrace their steps and go back to where they were, and try over and over again until they find the right path towards success.

      

Finally, I would like to pay tribute to the extraordinary figure of SANTIAGO RAMÓN y CAJAL, the famous doctor and researcher. He exemplifies what I have mentioned above. Thanks to

his strong determination, painstakingly working in his lab while checking endless samples in his microscope, he managed to discover the close-knit connection between the neurons inside our brain. His remarkable discovery was one step forward into the unknown world of the human mind.

Thanks a lot, dear Fernando, for another fantastic post. Allow me to join you in for a humble tribute to the many committed, hard-working researchers across the world by embedding (if only for the sake of English) this short clip introducing NCRI, the prestigious National Cancer Research Institute in the UK. Hopefully one day soon an effective cure against this deathly plague called cancer will be found!

Fernando: my take on the current economic crisis

We are living times of uncertainty, with rising unemployment figures, specially among youngsters. They are, in general, well-trained people who have no job, no prospects, no future. Many of them are fleeing the country in search of new opportunities. Those who remain here live with their parents, and the lucky few who find work usually have a part-time or an underpaid job. 

Frankly, José Luis, this situation is extremely worrying; I have two daughters and obviously this current economic climate matters to me. I firmly believe that EU members should take meaningful measures to create new small businesses which can generate wealth and boost the ailing economy. At the same time, European governments should make it easier for young people with new ideas to develop their projects. Self-employment could be a possible solution. Nevertheless, I always think in a positive way and I do believe that Spain is a great country, full of of hard-working people with brilliant ideas, but unfortunately with bad politicians both on the right and on the left. 

Finally, I must say that I hope our country will overcome this situation, the sooner the better.