
Instructions
Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.
Transcript
Dave: Jean, hi!
Jean: Hi, Dave. How are you?
Dave: Good, good.
Jean: Wait a second, I'm not calling you in Canada, right? You're back now, aren't you?
Dave: Yeah, I got back two days ago.
Jean: Oh good, phew. Because I wouldn't want to be calling you long distance without realising it and suddenly ...
Dave: You've spent a fortune on a long-distance call. No, I know, it's OK. I actually wouldn't answer the phone while I was over there if I saw the call was coming from England. But no worries, we're in the same country now.
Jean: Yeah. So, how was the trip? Did you meet your long-lost uncle?
Dave: I did, actually. It was very good. I flew to Toronto and stayed there for a few days. At first I was really worried about my accommodation because I kept reading these appalling stories about rental flats going all wrong.
Jean: Oh, was it one of those?
Dave: Yeah.
Jean: My friend had a disastrous experience in Barcelona with one of them. The place didn't look anything like the photos, and all the neighbours hated that there was a holiday flat in their building. Awkward situation. Urgh.
Dave: Right. So, as I was saying, I was really worried because I heard these stories. And at first I couldn't find the place. Turns out I was in the wrong building. It was next door, and on the top floor, and … wow. Jean, this place was fabulous! Really spacious, with these floor-to-ceiling windows and the most scenic views of the city. I could see the lake and the whole city skyline and skyscrapers from my bedroom. I had to pinch myself to prove I wasn't dreaming.
Jean: Sounds pretty cool. So, what's it like? The city, I mean. I've always wanted to go to Canada.
Dave: It's nice. I mean, it's another big, vibrant, modern city. But it's really clean, and there's lots of parks. One of the things I liked was the multiculturalism. We visited Chinatown, Little Italy, Greektown, Little India … umm, I can't remember the others but it was sort of a new area every three or four blocks, you know?
Jean: Hey, is it true that there's a whole part of the city that's underground? I read that somewhere about Toronto, or saw it on some TV show.
Dave: It's true! I asked about that. They call it the PATH. There's, like, almost 30 kilometres of restaurants, shops, cinemas and stuff all underground. In the middle of the downtown area.
Jean: Amazing!
Dave: Yeah, but actually once you're down there it's not that noticeable. There's actually a lot of natural light. I forgot we were underground. It's mostly useful to get out of the cold weather.
Jean: What temperature was it while you were there?
Dave: It was still only November, but it was getting cold. We had at least a day where it was less than zero. My uncle told me that in January and February it can go down to 20 below zero.
Jean: Oh, wow. I think I'd die!
Dave: Yeah, and the worst thing was what they call the 'wind-chill' factor. So they say the temperature is zero degrees, but minus eight with the wind chill. So it feels like minus eight. And my uncle said the wind-chill factor can go down to minus 40.
Jean: Stop it! You're making me feel cold just thinking about it. So, how was meeting your uncle? The famous Uncle George.
Dave: That was great too. He lives outside of Toronto, in a cottage by a lake. Really tranquil and unspoiled nature.
Jean: I'm dying to see photos. You want to meet up soon? Or are you too jet lagged still?
Dave: Yeah, I'm actually free tomorrow if you like.
The last place I visited was the Guadeloupe Island in the Carribbean, I would recommend it because it was so beautiful and the weather was nice. People were so relaxed and I loved the ambiance. The food was good too!
The last place I travelled to was Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia. I enjoyed the laidback lifestyle, the unspoiled nature and of course, the delectable street food! My adventurous partner and I ventured into an old Chinese cemetery out of curiosity. We became feasts for the mosquitoes!
I would highly recommend a trip there to immerse yourself in the unique culture, sights, and sounds.
Actually, the last place that I visited is Sudan.
I really recommend to you due It was unexciting place and natural.
Although there are many places that u have visited instance Art National Museum, Mara mountain moreover the Alkhalfa street worth visit.Despite of that the people are very kindly and hospitality they can let u pay any think from my experience I went with my money back.
I forget to mentioned that there are more than 200 pyramids in Sudan❤️
Hi everyone,
The last place I travelled to was Ica in Peru. I recommend to visit this department because the food is delicious, also their sweets. And of course, you can visit La Huacachina, a oasis in the desert, and have a good experience in the Natural Reserve in Paracas, where you can see marine wildlife. Amazing!
It was Istanbul. yes it is a excellent tourist city. It is multiculturalism and dynamic city. I feel life goes on in this city.
Hello learnEnglish team,
What's the meaning of "Catching up after a trip"
Thanks
Hello Moses Habarugira,
'Catching up' here means to find out what has been happening recently. You can catch up after a trip because you haven't seen someone for a while, for example. You can also use 'catch up' with 'on' and an object: catch up on the news, catch up on the latest football results etc.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
The last place I travelled to was to and old city in my Country named Colonia del Sacramento and I
Would recommend it to a friend because it has historical value as part of the history of our country.
Thanks for the episode.
Great site!
Last year, I visited Nis, a city in southern Serbia. The city has a very rich history, people are kind and love new friendships. Constantine the Great was born in the city. I think it was a nice experience.
Regrettably, due to some reasons I haven`t been going abroad for a long period of time. However, I would like to describe last location which I visited back in 2020. It was Italy. It is a magnificient country with unique culture, warm weather and exceptionally good cuisine. One thing that I liked the most was architecture of local buildings. The flat blocks have their own unrepeatable charm. You suddenly feel so cosy when you stroll and see kind and easy-going Italians. It seems like every Italian just came from a podium as their outfits are voguish and extremely stylish.
If you happen to come to Italy, try local wine and pasta. But don`t forget that every restaurant includes tax in your bill!