I spent my third year of university living in Málaga in the South of Spain. One of the highlights of my time there was without a doubt the food. Every town in Andalucia boasts its own market. Málaga is famous for having one of the largest markets in Spain, Atarazanas Mercado and it is a food fanatics paradise…I was in my element.
There were stalls of salt cod, pungent cheeses, cured sausages, picturesque mounds of colourful fruit and vegetables, piles of fresh seafood, dried chillies cascading from the ceiling, I could go on and on… The warm air was filled with the glorious smell of fresh coriander, mint and garlic contrasted with the sweet scent of cinnamon. The endless background babble of vendors and buyers jabbering away at one another in colloquial Spanish was almost deafening. It was an incredibly exciting place.
From my time in Spain (frequenting the local tapas bars) it soon occurred to me that the key to the Spanish cuisine is its honesty and the fact that it is simply a combination of the very best basic ingredients. One of my favourite recipes was Sizzling Garlic Prawns, a dish that emphasises just that. Fresh prawns fried for a minute or two in 5 tbsp of olive oil with 2-3 dried chillies, 4 cloves of chopped garlic, a pinch of paprika and salt. Incredibly simple, but delicious accompanied with a salad, some crusty white bread and a glass of Gewurztraminer. A last minute dish that should sizzle its way to the table.
Jess
Within a week of being at University I realised how young and uncultured I was, well, for all of my 18 years that is. Surrounded by gappies who had ‘discovered’ themselves, matured and caught the traveling bug, I felt quite insignificant. I got a part time job and immediately started saving for some extravagant summer adventures to rival the stories of my peers.
21; a milestone, a coming of age and mostly a time for AMAZING presents! These annoying little assumptions tormented me for months when considering what to buy my boyfriend, Seb, for his 21st birthday. During the summer we had visited Norway on a hiking trip. However due to our university loans not funding such extravagance, we had to camp for the duration of the trip. Usually I’m a lover of the great outdoors and a bit of rough, but my spirits couldn’t help being dampened somewhat as we pitched tent next to a site of traditional (and extremely comfy looking) Scandinavian log cabins. Squished in a two man tent with sizable backpacks to match wasn’t exactly romantic, or a set up suited for a good nights sleep! So to make amends for our missed opportunity, and provide probably the best birthday present I’m ever going to come up with, I booked us a 
Usually my luck in life is higher than the average human being. However, the first day of our trip proved I had had more than my fair share of good fortune and fate was doing a 180 on me. We arrived late at night into a very shanty airport only to find that we couldn’t hire a car being neither 25 nor the owner of a credit card! As the log cabin was a four hour drive from Tampere, we were in somewhat of a pickle. An organisational freak, I was horrified at my lack of preparation and promptly went into a sheepish silence. Little did I know that things were only going to get worse! Jumping off the bus from the airport we arrived in Tampere at midnight only to find our youth hostel closed. Trundling round the town got us nowhere as we were beaten off with Scandinavian hotel prices! After haunting the train station until it closed, Seb and I set up camp for a night on a park bench. Northern Finland, in the middle of March with only a few blankets and fleeces for warmth, was not the smartest idea I’ve had. As we snuggled up for the night I was heartbroken that my brilliant plans had gone so wrong!
