Norwell High School Spain Adventures!
Un Viaje a España
During February vacation, a lucky group of Spanish and Arabic students traveled to Spain in a group led by Señora Adams, Señora McElwee, and Madame Mifdal. We began our trip after flying into Barcelona and departed ten days later from Malaga.
The first three days of our trip were spent in Barcelona, Spain’s second largest city and capital of Catalonia. When the group had free time, we explored Las Ramblas, a pedestrian boulevard full of shops and restaurants. We visited the Cathedral of Barcelona (pictured above) and were surprised to find a gaggle of thirteen geese inside, which we soon learned was in representation of the age at which a young sait died at. Next, we visited an enormous Basilica in Barcelona, the famous yet still unfinished Sagrada Familia. We ended our stay in Barcelona with a cooking class. The group cooked delicious paella and a few brave students learned the correct way to prepare squid.
We then departed from Barcelona and began the drive to Madrid, stopping in the beautiful city of Zaragoza to have lunch and see the Basilica del Pilar, which has a central pillar that is said to be a gift from the Virgin Mary to Saint James. We then continued the trip to Madrid and were given free time again to explore the city. We began the next day with a guided tour of the Palacio Royal, which is the largest royal palace in Europe! Then we moved on to the city of Toledo where we visited the twelfth- century St. Mary’s Synagogue and the Church of Santo Tomé.
After leaving Madrid, we continued on to the picturesque city of Seville, first stopping in Córdoba. In Córdoba, we toured the Mezquita, one of the oldest structures still standing in Spain from the time when the Muslims ruled. The next day after arriving in Seville, we visited the Plaza de España that was built in 1928 for the World Fair and the Cathedral of Seville surrounded by orange trees. Then, we finished our day off with dinner followed by a Flamenco show and dance lesson.
Our next stop was Granada, where we took a guided tour of the Alhambra. We visited the Gardens of Generalife, the Summer Palace, the Alcazaba Fortress, the Partal Palace, and the Palace of Charles the fifth. The group then found a square in Granada where we were given free time to explore and much of the group enjoyed churros.
The trip was coming to an end as we headed to our final destination of Costa del Sol. On our last full day, we crossed the border from Spanish territory to British territory when we entered Gibraltar. We drove up the Rock of Gibraltar where we were greeted by some monkey friends! Next, the group took a tour through the tunnels inside of the Rock of Gibraltar and learned about how the rock was used during World War II. We then headed back into Spain where we were given free time to explore Marabella and relax on the beach. Some spirited students finished their trip to Spain by jumping into the freezing Atlantic Ocean!
