My Hometwon (Year 9) I.E.S. Ibaialde (2009-10)

MY HOMETOWN: I live in , in the centre of and in the north of the Spain. But I'm going to talk about my village Artazu , near Puente la Reina, in centre of Navarra and in the north Spain. I like my village Artazu and, if is more or less 38kilometres from Burlada. My father was born in Artazu and my grandparents lived there. Now the aunt of my father lives in Artazu. Before, I travelled all weekends and holidays, but now I travel one day per month. In September I go to the harvest with my uncles, my cousins, my parents and my sister. That’s why I’m going to talk about it. It is a small town in the mountains. There is a lot of vegetation, has many orchards and many vineyards. The houses are very big and the stables are on the ground floor. The houses are very old too, made of stones with red roofs and vegetable gardens. The population of Artazu is around 120 people. During the summer the population is around 300 people. The holiday of Artazu is from 15th of August to 17th of August and the day of the wine, harvest is in 10th September. Artazu has some squares, a town hall, church, a bar, a sweets shop, a pediment and a small park. Also has two wineries, one is old and the other is new. The new one is Artadi and my father built it in 2003. It has three rural homes. Artazu doesn't have a school and young children go to school by bus to Puente la Reina and adolescents go to high school in Estella. Artazu doesn't have shops and the people go to buy to Puente la Reina and to . Next to Artazu is the river Arga. The summer weather in Artazu is good, around 25º C, the fall and spring are beautiful, but in winter it's cold. Finally, I’m going to describe my house: It’s very big and it has four floors. On the basement is the winery. On the ground floor there is an entry. On the first floor we have got a kitchen, a dinning room, a bathroom, a ladder and two bedrooms. On the second floor are four bedrooms and a balcony. And this is more-less everything about my village and my house... Josune

- 1 - My Hometwon (Year 9) I.E.S. Ibaialde (2009-10)

BURLADA Burlada is my hometown, I was born here and I live now here. It is a big village near Pamplona, the capital of Navarra in the north of Spain. Next to Burlada is Villava, it is smaller and in my opinion Burlada is better. Around the village there is a small mountain called San Cristobal. Here was born a famous musician called Hilarion , there are two schools with his name. Burlada has changed a lot, 10 years ago more o less in many places there were fields where farmers grew things, but now are buildings, roads... the change is for the better, but Burlada was nicer before. All my friends live here, for me this is the best thing of Burlada. In the centre of Burlada there are some small shops, several primary schools and some high schools. There is also a culture house, is the principal building in Burlada, here you can have classes, see spectacles... It is great! Near the main street is Uranga’s park, is the best place in Burlada, it is a famous park because is very beutiful, all is green, there are a lot of flowers, all the people take photos here. The people in Burlada are friendly. Burlada’s festivals are in August, from the 14th to 21st. All the days are a party! The best time to come to Burlada is in summer, because the winter is very cold. After my graduation I don’t want to live here, is boring and here I must move a lot to study after high school. Leire Asurmendi

- 2 - My Hometwon (Year 9) I.E.S. Ibaialde (2009-10)

My Hometwon: Añorbe Hello! I live in Burlada in the centre of Navarre in the North of Spain but I’m go into to tell you about a village of Navarre called Añorbe . It’s the village of my father and I have gone there 2 o 3 times so I don’t know a lot about it and I tell something that my father has told me and something from Internet. Añorbe is a small village of Navarre, it’s in the middle zone of Navarre, in the Valdizarbe valley. There are very few inhabitants, only 508. I was there little time but I like it, it’s very beautiful, it’s more or less at 30 minutes or 45 minutes from Pamplona by car. My grandparents don’t live in it now but the uncle of my father and some cousins of my father live in it. Añorbe has a beautiful mountain called San Martin. I sometimes climb this mountain because it isn’t very high and on the peak of the mountain there is a hermitage and it is called San Martin’s. The landscape of it is with mountains and in spring and summer it’s green, in autumn yellow or brown and in winter sometimes white because it snows. The climate is cold in winter and warm in summer. From Añorbe there is an ex-goalkeeper called Javier Vicuña and now he trains the goalkeepers of his team, Osasuna, which is the football team of Navarre. The festival, I think, it’s in August but I don’t know. I don’t like this place to live because it hasn’t got a lot of shops and there isn’t a lot of people to talk and it’s a solitary confinement but it’s very beautiful. Edurne Urricelqui

- 3 - My Hometwon (Year 9) I.E.S. Ibaialde (2009-10)

My Hometown: Leache is a very small village located in the west centre of Navarre. It is only 45km away from Pamplona, Navarre’s capital. It is surrounded by high mountains and most of the territory is occupied by large fields (wine yards, cereal fields...), for that reason most of the inhabitants were farmers. Leache is my mother’s village. She was born there and she lived there for 13 years. When she lived there, 30 years ago, things were very different. Since those years most of the population has moved to bigger villages near it, such as Sangüesa. That is why Leache hasn’t got hospital, shops, industry... and the school was closed 25 years ago. Nowadays all the inhabitants are very old. There aren’t any children. Although it has changed a lot, many people who lived there still go to visit it during the summers, at the weekends... Leache has big houses but they are very little. Some of them are empty. The streets are steep and not very long. The most important building is the church, Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, it is situated in the centre square of the village. Two years ago a Roman fountain with a washer was found. Some people of my village are restoring it. It is made of stone and it is an interesting historical monument. It has a continental climate. Winters are very cold and sometimes snows. Summers are very dry and hot. Rainfall is more abundant during autumn and spring. This is my village and I love it! Naiara irigoyen

- 4 - My Hometwon (Year 9) I.E.S. Ibaialde (2009-10)

MY HOMETOWN The composition about my hometown is for me a problem, because I don’t know if my hometown is Ansoain or Burlada because I live in Ansoain but I spend all my day in Burlada and I know that is going to be boring to read and correct all about the same places (Burlada and Villava) but I don’t know Ansoain well, so I’m going to write about Burlada, the place of my childhood. Burlada is a big village or a small town, I’m not sure. It’s in the middle of Navarre, between Pamplona (the capital city of Navarre) and another village called Villava. I like it very much, because is beautiful, the people are nice, there are lots of kids... I think Burlada is big, there are lots of shops, squares, supermarkets, a health centre, parks, a big new city hall and a lot of schools. But for me the best thing of Burlada is "Uranga´s Park". I really like it because is quiet (sometimes) and is a good place to relax and read, and I love reading in the park in summer, although my friends are really noisy. In the park there are some animals like chickens, turkeys, rabbits, and there’s a big beautiful old palace, perfect to draw it, and there are also lots of trees, flowers... We also have a sports centre called "Elizgibela", where the boys and girls play handball, basket, gymnastics... And the people also can play instruments in "Hilarión Eslava" music school, or dance in "Sol Sostenido" academy. In summer, from 14th of August until 21st of August Burlada has its festival. I really like it, in the festival we have music and dances, a lot of people come, have lunches, fireworks, things for the little ones, and the old ones... And all things are very funny!! But the best thing in summer is the swimingpool area, it’s fantastic!! Burlada is hot in summer (up to 36ºC) and cold in winter (about 4ºC), and summer is wet, but in winter rains a lot, and sometimes also snows. You would enjoy visiting my hometown because there are a lot of places to see and the people are very nice and friendly, and although in the future I want to live in the USA, I think Burlada is a great place to live in.

IRATI SEGURA TORRES

- 5 - My Hometwon (Year 9) I.E.S. Ibaialde (2009-10)

MY HOMETOWN: CILDOZ Hello, I’m Alberto and I going to write about my town, where I live. Its name is Cildoz ; it is in Spain, in valley, ten kilometres from Pamplona, the capital of Navarre. It is very little, it has around sixty inhabitants. All of the people from my village know each other. We are very friendly and all the children play together. It is beautiful and very quiet because there are few people and there isn’t a lot of traffic. The weather is cold in winter and hot in summer. There is a lot of rain. I love it because it is in quiet and there is a lot of nature, we are surrounded by mountains. One of them, San Cristobal (the biggest), separates Cildoz from Pamplona. The best thing of my town is the nature because it is not in all places and it is very important. The worst thing is that I have to take a bus to go to the school. Cildoz has very short festivals. They are on 19 th, 20 th and 21 st of June. There are contests, games, shows… they are very funny. The children buy firecrackers and they light them everywhere in the town. Some people don’t like them but I like them, I don’t know why. In the past, in Cildoz, the people worked only on the agriculture, but now they can not do that because there isn’t enough money in it and they work in other jobs like butcher (like my father), like plumber…my father works in the agriculture too, because he has some land he cultivates, plants… In the future I would like to go to live in another place, because of the transport, as I said. I don’t know where I will go but I will not go out of Navarre because I like it a lot. Oh! I forgot to say that in my village there are not any shops!! It is terrible. So this is Cildoz, my village, and I like it, as it is. Good bye!! Alberto Aragón

- 6 - My Hometwon (Year 9) I.E.S. Ibaialde (2009-10)

MY VILLAGE The name of my village is Aizarotz , it’s in valley, near Igoa. It’s in the north of Navarre, the temperature is cold in winter and mild in summer with abundant precipitations. The vegetation is abundant and in autumn we see the trees with different colours. So I think it has an Atlantic climate. The festival of Aizarotz is on the 29 of December and the carnival in February. Aizarotz is a small but very beautiful village, with a population of 43 people, and also there are other people like me that have a house but only go there for the weekends. It’s crossed by a road and there is one fronton, one small lake, where there are some ducks, many flats and two old houses. There’s also a very small pool and one café. There isn’t any school, so the children go to the school of Jaunsaras (a village near Aizarotz). Aizarotz is near a river, with very cold water, called Artius, where I go swimming in summer. I prefer staying in Burlada, because in my village there aren’t many people of my age and sometimes I get bored there. But I like it, because I like walks around the mountains and in Aizarotz I can do it, I also like walking with my dog and he loves my village, because he’s all the time on the street. Amaia Garacochea

- 7 - My Hometwon (Year 9) I.E.S. Ibaialde (2009-10)

MY HOMETOWN I live in Villava, in the centre of Navarre and in the north of Spain, but I have another place to live, my village. My second home name is Muzqui . Muzqui is 35 minutes far from Villava, is located in the north of Spain, in Navarre too. My mother was born in Muzqui and my grandparents still live there. They have lived in Muzqui all their lives. I travel to Muzqui all the weekends and when I haven’t got school. Muzqui is a very small village. The population is very small. During the week there are 6 or 7 persons and at the weekends the population increases a lot. In summer there are almost forty or fifty persons. The best month to go is June. In June there are a lot of people of all ages. My village has some weird things. For example: In my village there isn’t any shop; we buy the bread from a man who carries the bread from bakery by car. Another weird thing is the fronton. In the middle of the fronton is the road that crosses it. When we are playing, one person has to be on one side of the road to stop the cars. But not usually come a lot of cars. Now I am going to describe my home: I live in the house of my grandparents. It has 3 floors. On the first floor there are: the storage room, a room to keep the tractor, the barn and the room for the dog. On the second floor there are: seven bedrooms, the kitchen, the dining room, the living room and two bedrooms. And on the third floor there is a very, very big attic. With a lot of things: new, old and especially very old. This is my calm village, surrounded by mountains. When I want to relax I go to Muzqui, It is the best place to rest and to relax. I love it, and when I get older I want to buy my home, my second home there. Iranzu Rípodas

- 8 - My Hometwon (Year 9) I.E.S. Ibaialde (2009-10)

My village

My village is . Obanos is in Navarre, my village is near Pamplona, about 20 minutes away. My village has more or less 900 inhabitants and all are wonderful persons. In Obanos the two roads of Santiago way in Spain join here. A lot of pilgrims follow these routes so many of them ask me and my friends questions, it's very funny because the don't speak Spanish so I have to speak English. It's a good form to learn. They speak a lot of languages such as Italian, French, German, Portuguese, Catalonian and English!! They have a very good pronunciation also. Obanos is a very beautiful village, it's is not a farming village with cattle and chicken on the stereets, it's like a city but smaller. It has a lot of businesses such as a coffe bar, 2 hotels... Obanos has also a football pitch, the team is called Infanzones. They are very good!! It has also 2 restaurants, a pharmacy, 2 bakeries and one small market. Last year we inaugurated the new fronton, it's beautiful and it's covered, so when it's raining we go there. Then it has a church , it's very old but very well restored. I go to Obanos all the weekends and in the summer. On holidays I have a very good time there because it's so different to villava I stay all the days out. We go to the swimming pool that isn’t very big but there we have a tennis court, then at night we stay in the park until late. I have a very good time there because I have a lot of friends: they are fantastic I love them to much. The festivals in my village are in summer so I stay there. They are the last week in August. They are great fun. At the start, when the mayor lights the rocket, we throw soda one to another. Then other days we see the small bulls and at night we go dancing I have a terrific time there. In my village live my grandparents. Their names are Jose Antonio and Amelia. They are the parents of my father, they are very lovely. This is my village I hope you like it because is the best village in the world!!!

Maider Eguílaz

- 9 - My Hometwon (Year 9) I.E.S. Ibaialde (2009-10)

MY HOMETOWN Hi, I’m from Villava but I’m going to talk about my mother’s village, . Isaba is on the north-east of Navarra, in the north of Spain. I like it a lot because it’s small and I have friends there. The population of my Isaba is 500 persons approximately. Isaba is famous in winter if you like skiing. The best things about Isaba are my friends, the mountains and going with my uncle to work with his cows. I don’t live there but I go to Isaba a lot of weekends and in summer. My grandparents and my uncle and my aunt live there. I don’t remember how Isaba was when I was a kid but I think it has changed. The geography around Isaba is mountainous. The main attractions in Isaba are the skiing track and the mountains. The economical resources of my hometown are a cheese factory and the stockbreeding. When I’m an adult I think I will not live in Isaba but I’ll visit it a lot because it is a fantastic village. In Isaba there isn’t a high school but there is a primary school. In my hometown the winter is very cold and rains and snows very often, but in summer it is hot and you can do a lot of sports in the street and in the mountains. Arkaitz Ezker

- 10 - My Hometwon (Year 9) I.E.S. Ibaialde (2009-10)

MY VILLAGE

My village’s name is Zudaire , it is a small village near Estella, and it takes you about 25 minutes more or less to get there. Zudaire is like an ancient village. In Zudaire there is part of my mother’s family. As Zudaire is a small village it hasn’t got any shops, it only has a pub, a hotel with a snack bar, but of course the hotel isn’t very big. It has a big square with swings, a playroom and a lot of green grass. If you go down to the beginning of the village you can find the chemist. In Zudaire there isn’t a hospital so, when somebody gets ill he or she has to go to Estella. I don’t go to my village very often but is true that when I go I really have a good time there and I would like to go more frequently. Every year I go there during the festival. They are during my holidays, at the end of August. I like them because as it is a small village all the neighbours know one another and they organize the festival on their own way. I like it very much. It is so funny. I love summer days when I go to Zudaire and I spend a long time on Urbasa mountain range (I have to recognised, it is a very pretty place) with the horses that are almost wild because of the freedom they have. I am very happy in my village! Oh! I forgot to place it, it is in Urbasa´s mountain range, and the climate is colder than the climate here. In winter it usually snows much more than here. It is really small, there are about 50 inhabitants. It is about 60km from Pamplona. Marina Tiscar

- 11 - My Hometwon (Year 9) I.E.S. Ibaialde (2009-10)

My Village Its name is Larrasoaña , its a town in the north of Navarre near Zubiri. You are there in only 10 minutes from Pamplona. I like it very much because is the town of my paternal grandparents. The population is very small, it hasn’t got a lot of inhabitants. Like the majority of the towns in Navarre, it only has 200 inhabitants. The inhabitants are old people. But also there are some young people and almost of the young people are of my age, so I like it. My hometown isn’t important for anything and we can say that the people of Navarre have never heard about it. The best thing of my hometown is the river Arga, because it is a natural phenomenon. Sometimes I go to my hometown to see my friends and to have parties or to spend the day with my family, my cousins, my aunts, grandmother, grandfather… Nobody in my family lives now there, because it hasn’t got the resources of the city. So they prefer to live in Pamplona or in Villava. It has a society, a very big fronton, a lot of beautiful houses. And a lot of houses have their own swimming pool. It is a mountainous town, so in winter there is a lot of snow and it is very cold. But summers are very hot. It rains a lot in winter. And there are a lot of storms. The best season to go there is summer because of the weather and of the people who visit the town. After I graduate, I don’t want to live there, I want to live in Pamplona. My hometown has changed a lot since I was a kid, for example there are many houses and there is a new fronton. Now all is better.

Naiara Palomo

- 12 - My Hometwon (Year 9) I.E.S. Ibaialde (2009-10)

MY HOMETOWN Hello!! I’m from Villava, Villava is near Burlada, and Burlada is near Pamplona. Villava is more or less in the middle of Navarre. I will describe my town as a very funny and curious town. You can always do something. It is impossible not to do something. The population is about eleven thousand persons. Villava is so famous because ten years ago here was the best cyclist in the world, Miguel Indurain . I think the best thing of my town is the new sports centre, it is near Lorenzo Goicoa, the school were I did my primary education. In Villava there are some mountains around, for example, San Cristobal and Miravalles. The festival in Villava is in October. The town hall, with the famous “Crisis” does not spend a lot of money now, and that is not good. We have got bull races, theatre plays, chocolate, small shops… At night we stay in the street until 3:00 o´clock at night. My friends and I think that the night is the best moment and great fun. In summer we go to Villava’s swimming pool. They’re private but it isn’t a very important problem. Sometimes we go with some girls and with some Burlada’s people to Iroz, because in Iroz there is a bridge, not very tall but… We ride our bicycles about 12 km next to Iroz. Some people don’t dive into the water because they are scared to do it but the brave people, like me, do jump into the water. It is something great. Apart from going to the swimming pool and to Iroz, I sometimes go fishing to different village like Puente la Reina, Burlada, Monreal, Villava with my dad and my brother. The biggest fish I have fished is about 3 kilos. I think villava is OK!!! I don’t complain about the town I have got. Villava is a good town to live here. I advise you, come to live here. Rubén Recalde

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