TRIP TO GRANADA, SPAIN

On the Thursday before the half term holiday, over 20 boys from the 4^th and 5^th forms studying GCSE Spanish set off to Granada, a historic and symbolic town and a one a half hour journey from Spain’s southern coast. Upon arrival in the centre of town, each pair was greeted by their designated host family. The initial walk to their home was very nerve-wracking, however after spending the evening with the family, we began to settle in and started to get a feel for the Spanish way of life, whilst talking only Spanish all the time.

Our hosts walked with us to the Language School on the first morning of the trip, where the fourth and fifth form would have separate lessons each morning, and already it was clear how beautiful and old Granada was. However, this would be the last time we would come to the language school accompanied, as from then on we would have to make our own way there and back.

For lunch each day, we would split into smaller groups to try to explore all areas of traditional Spanish cuisine, before regrouping for the afternoon’s excursion with the other boys and our teachers, Mrs. Robinson, Mr. Edmundson and Mr. Sykes.

On our first full day we had a guided tour of the Albayzín, which was the Arab quarter of Granada, and began to grasp the history of Granada, which we would learn more and more about throughout the week. From 711 up until 1492, the majority of modern day Spain was ruled by Arabs and the key significance of Granada was that it was the final place to fall to the Christian conquerors of Spain in 1492. Other highlights included a visit to the Alhambra Palace, built under Arab rule, which was quite extraordinary, not least because from the castle’s watch tower, we were able to see the snow on the mountains in the Sierra Nevada range only a few kilometres away.

On the weekend, Saturday consisted of a day trip to the coast, with visits to the incredible cave at Nerja and afternoon on the beach. Sunday was a day spent with the families, and it was then when I really started to feel my Spanish improving. Absolutely nothing compares with speaking and hearing Spanish all the time when it comes to improving language skills and we all felt progress being made in communicating with our hosts and in conversation with them, something which was extremely satisfying.

We all enjoyed a fantastic week in Granada and everyone on the trip would like to thank the teachers, especially Mrs. Robinson for all her hard work in the organisation of the trip.  I am sure we will all reap the benefits of the week spent in Spain in our upcoming lessons.

Ben Lee 5S

When I told everyone I was going to Granada for the second time, people asked me why. Primarily, I wanted to improve my Spanish; secondly, I was looking for some sun; thirdly, I love being in Spain for the culture. In all three aspects, this trip did not disappoint.

When I told everyone I was going to Granada for the second time, people asked me why. Primarily, I wanted to improve my Spanish; secondly, I was looking for some sun; thirdly, I love being in Spain for the culture. In all three aspects, this trip did not disappoint. Each day, we had three hours of Spanish lessons with two teachers who both claimed not to be able to speak English. The lessons were very well set out and the teachers did their best to make us as involved as possible and to help develop our Spanish skills. In fact, we were always so involved that one whole morning in the Don Quixote Language School went quicker than a double Spanish at CLS!

Throughout the week, the weather was very consistent: very cold first thing, (about 1 degree), but reaching temperatures of 20 degrees by the time we had lunch in the ‘Plaza Bib Rambla’. In the afternoons, we did a variety of relaxing activities – such as playing football, or on one occasion, visiting the Alhambra. This ancient Moorish palace on the hill is one of the most amazing buildings I have ever visited, stunning for its beautiful views and brilliant architecture. There is one room I particularly remember where there is a wooden ceiling and stone walls upon which the 100 names of Allah are carved. Here, one can also look through the huge windows and soak in the view over the Albaicin.

What I loved the most about the Alhambra was that everywhere you went there were little surprises; for example, the ‘room of secrets’, where you could whisper into one corner and someone else could hear what you said in the opposite corner. One day, we visited the old Arab quarter, the Albaicin, with its small white houses and long narrow streets. We saw how the area had abruptly altered when the Catholics had re-conquered Spain from the Arabs. We saw churches with Arabic style windows, (formerly mosques), and at the end of the tour, we went to the balcony at the San Nicholas church where there were stunning views over the Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada mountain range as a spectacular background. Saturday was a ‘free’ day, where we spent our time on the coast with Señors Edmundson and Cruz. In Almuñécar, we visited a castle and then spent an afternoon at the Nerja beach, enjoying one final blast of sunshine.

The trip was fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone looking to improve their Spanish and to see a great city. There’s an inscription at the top of a tower at the Alhambra with stunning views over Granada which says: ‘The worse pain in the world is the pain of being blind in Granada’. I must say I would be inclined to agree.

Pierre Capel 5B