Blog

“A walk in the woods will never be the same again.” [cover] Why read about trees when you’re learning a new language? First, for pleasure, as it’s a fascinating read. Peter Wohlleben presents many interesting scientific facts about trees: he talks about some mysterious truths (why deciduous trees drop leaves in winter), beautiful truths (the… Read more Read More...

Dear Readers, We would like to wish you all a lovely Easter break. Whether you’re going travelling, visiting family or practising your language skills, we hope you have a great time and we’re looking forward to seeing you soon! BTW, we’re starting our SPRING language term very soon, on Monday 29th April 2019. If you… Read more Read More...

It was my first time in Croatia and I fell in love with its people, nature, food and culture. My stay in Croatia was amazing and it surprised me in many ways. Today, I want to share with you my picture-perfect spot in Croatia (I have also written a more general article on Croatia, here)…. Read more Read More...

So you have been learning a new language for a while now and you are making a lot of progress, but you feel like something is missing.  You can practise reading and writing and listening… but where can you practise speaking?  This post looks at where you can practise speaking your chosen language with native… Read more Read More...

For our family, when travelling to Cornwall, we need to have plenty of walking options as we like to be outside to enjoy the views, fresh air and some exercise. Since becoming a family of 4, we take our younger daughter in a sling (3 months old) and our older daughter (4 years old) walks… Read more Read More...

What makes us happy? Money, success, family, friends, surroundings, weather? The more I read about happiness, the more I think that happiness comes from inside, from our attitude towards what happens in our life. Would you agree? This recent publication by Helen Russell (who now lives in Denmark – consistently one of the top 10… Read more Read More...

Although we have had some uncharacteristically warm weather recently, the season on its way in March is actually spring, and the observant among you will have noticed the spring flowers starting to poke their heads above the ground.  To celebrate this new beginning, this blog post looks at the word for “spring” and the origins… Read more Read More...

Jean-Paul Metzger, PhD., is not only a wonderful French language tutor at BLS, but also an experienced translator and a passionate composer. He’s also a bilingual who lives in Bristol, UK, and today we have the pleasure of interviewing him! Hello Jean-Paul. Thank you for taking part in our interview today. Can you tell us… Read more Read More...

When in Italy, it’s truly difficult to avoid them… they look & taste amazing… yes, the ice-creams… As I normally don’t eat sweets (I know, shocking!!!), if I wanted to be naughty, I wanted to do it properly and experience the best of Italian ice-cream. Below are my absolute favourites. Gelateria De’ Coltelli, Pisa Situated… Read more Read More...

Speaking another language is quite simply the minimum and primary condition for being alive. Julia Kristeva It’s a thought-provoking and fascinating read. Bilingual Games, edited by Doris Sommer, presents the idea of bilingualism from many different perspectives. The book is divided into 5 parts and each of them contains essays written by intellectuals who portray… Read more Read More...