Air Travel & Island Trips – B2 English Listening Exercise

9 scenery 10 former engineer 11 sea salt 12 pine trees

13 dark 14 roasted chestnuts 15 monastery

16 caves 17 cool bag 18 recipes

Mark: Hello everyone. My name is Mark, and I’m a travel and food blogger. Today, I’m going to tell you about a recent trip I took to a stunning mountain region to sample some of their famous regional delicacies.

Most tourists travel to this area hoping to admire the historic architecture, but what actually drew me to the area was the spectacular scenery, and of course, the promise of incredible food. I’d heard they produce some of the best artisanal chocolate, exotic honey, and specialty cheeses in the world.

My first stop on Tuesday morning was a small, family-run chocolate shop. I assumed the owner, a man named Julian, had trained as a pastry chef in Paris or somewhere similar. But he told me he was actually a former engineer who decided to change careers and follow his passion. He applies that same precision to his chocolate making.

He generously let me sample a few different varieties. I initially thought the chili chocolate would be my absolute favourite, as I like spicy food. However, the one that really stood out and blew me away had a pinch of sea salt in it. It balanced the sweetness perfectly, so I bought two large bars of that.

Next, I drove out to a local bee farm to hunt down some of the exotic honey I’d read about. Interestingly, the hives weren’t kept in meadows of wildflowers as you might typically expect; instead, they were situated deep among the pine trees. The bees collect sap from the branches to make a very unusual type of honey.

The beekeeper offered me several types to taste. The light, floral ones were very nice, but I ended up purchasing a jar of the dark variety because of its incredibly rich, intense flavour. It had a slightly bitter aftertaste that was absolutely delicious.

By then, it was time for lunch. The local pub had a few tempting daily specials, including a wild mushroom stew. I was very tempted by that, but I opted for a dish made with roasted chestnuts, which is a genuine regional specialty and kept me full for hours.

In the afternoon, I went searching for the specialty cheeses the valley is famous for. I’d read in my guidebook about a famous dairy in the centre of the village, but some friendly locals told me to skip that and directed me to a monastery just up the hill. The monks there have been producing cheese for centuries.

One of the brothers kindly took me on a tour. They don’t use modern, climate-controlled refrigerators to age their cheese. Instead, the heavy wheels of cheese are kept in damp caves underneath the building, which gives them their unique rind and pungent smell. I bought a huge wedge of it to take home.

With all these delicate foods purchased, I had to figure out how to transport them safely. A regular backpack wouldn’t protect the artisanal chocolate from melting in the warm car, so I bought a specially insulated cool bag from a market stall to carry everything.

Now that I’m back home, I won’t just be writing simple reviews of these products. While my followers always enjoy reading about my travel adventures, I’m actually going to publish some original recipes using the ingredients I bought. I can’t wait to see how the honey and cheese work together in a dish!

9 exhibition 10 fairy tales 11 river sand 12 dental instruments

13 sleeping giant 14 wind 15 glue

16 workshop 17 gold medal 18 documentary

Liam: Hi everyone, my name’s Liam. I’m here to talk about an amazing trip I took recently to the coast. I’d seen posters for a sand sculpture exhibition on the beach, and since I love art, I decided to go. I initially thought it would just be kids making sandcastles, but it was actually a serious, large-scale event with professional artists from all over the world.

Every year, the organisers choose a different subject for the artists to base their work on. I assumed it would be ocean creatures, given the location, but this year it was fairy tales. It was fascinating to see how each artist interpreted the stories differently.

Now, you might think they just use the sand right there on the beach. However, that sand is too round and smooth from the ocean waves. They actually bring in tons of river sand, which has sharper edges and sticks together much better when compacted with water.

Watching the artists work was absolutely fascinating. They start out by using heavy machinery and shovels to build big blocks of sand, of course. But for the intricate details, they don’t use typical beach toys. I saw one guy using dental instruments to carve out a tiny face! It takes incredible patience and precision.

There were so many impressive pieces along the shoreline. A lot of people were busy photographing a huge medieval castle, and a dragon that looked like it was breathing fire. But the one that completely amazed me was a sleeping giant. The details on its face and hands were incredibly realistic, as if it might wake up at any moment.

I got chatting with one of the sculptors while she was taking a break. I asked if rain was their biggest enemy. She told me that light rain is actually quite helpful because it keeps the sand moist. What really causes problems and ruins their work is the wind. A strong gust can blow away the fine details in a matter of seconds.

I also wondered how the artwork survived for weeks. To stop the sculptures from drying out and blowing away, they have a special trick. They don’t mix the sand with cement or anything permanent like that. Instead, they spray the finished pieces with a mixture of water and glue. This creates a thin crust on the outside that seals the moisture in.

While visitors couldn’t touch the professional displays, there was a chance to get our hands dirty. I didn’t want to enter the amateur carving competition, as I’ve never done it before, but I did sign up for a workshop where a professional taught us basic carving techniques. It’s definitely harder than it looks!

At the end of the festival, a panel of judges decides the winner. You’d expect the champion to get a huge cash prize or maybe a massive silver cup, but the actual reward is a rather modest gold medal, along with the prestige and international recognition, of course.

Overall, it was an unforgettable experience. I took loads of pictures and initially thought about creating a blog post to share them. However, my brother and I are actually planning to make a short documentary about the artists when the festival returns next summer. I can’t wait to go back!