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Spanish Study Trip to Sevilla 2008
11th February 2008
The week before the Spring term half term 16 College students participated in a study visit to Sevilla, in southern Spain, as part of our GCSE, AS and A2 Spanish courses.
Led by Dr Ruth Brinton, Deputy Principal, and her husband Chris Bivand, we arrived in sunny Spain on Saturday 2nd February and began the trip by meeting our host families. On Sunday, we took an excursion to Córdoba, where we were treated to an informative tour of the historic city, home of the Mezquita of Córdoba, which contains what was once one of the most important mosques in Western Islam and which traces its roots back to the year 785.
Monday morning meant an early start and we attempted not to get lost as we made our way from our Spanish families to the to Giralda Center, the language school where we spent mornings throughout the week learning Spanish.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner were generally spent with our families, providing the opportunity to experience Spanish food and practise the language with the natives.
On Monday afternoon we were taken around the tranquil neighbourhood of Santa Cruz by our guide, Raquel, one of the teachers from the Giralda Center.
On Tuesday afternoon we visited Sevilla’s eight-hundred-year-old Cathedral and walked to the top of its Moorish bell tower, some 93 metres above the ground, from which a fantastic view of the city could be seen.
On Wednesday afternoon we toured the Real Alcázar palace, where the Spanish king stays when he goes to Sevilla. The palace is set in beautiful gardens, incorporating a maze and countless orange trees.
We visited Sevilla’s bullring (Real Maestranza) on Thursday afternoon, the most important bullring in the region, with seating capacity for over 10,000. Fortunately for some, the bull-fighting season doesn’t begin until April, so we toured the bullring’s museum, which provided lots of information about the history of bullfighting in Spain and Sevilla.
Friday afternoon was our last in Spain and we spent it in a leisurely way, shopping or bowling. In the evening we went to watch one of Sevilla’s highly regarded flamenco shows and afterwards wrapped up an active week with a group meal in a restaurant, where we celebrated the birthday of one of our group, who turned 18 the following day.
Saturday meant home time and we spent much of the day travelling back from Sevilla to Hereford. The pilot on our plane allowed Kayleigh and Poppy, two of our group, to go inside the cockpit as we flew over France, as it was Kayleigh’s 18th birthday. The journey home brought an enjoyable end to a fun and memorable week in which we made the most of our chance to improve our Spanish and, for some, to catch a tan.