On Wednesday 2 May, a group of Year 6 and 7 boys and girls headed to Andalucia, Spain with Mrs Hodgson, Miss Ashton, Mrs Callis and Mr Carrick for four jam-packed days of Spanish culture.
Arriving on Wednesday evening, everyone enjoyed dinner in a typical Spanish restaurant and before checking into their hotel in Seville ready for their first full day of sightseeing.
They had an early start on Thursday, when they headed to Jerez, a smaller Spanish city around an hour away. Although famous for its sherry, the staff and students were there to see the famous dancing Andalucían horses at the Fundacion Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre. They were lucky enough to look round the grounds and stables and see some of the beautiful horses before enjoying the show. Following a quick look around the city to see the Alcazar palace and their first helado (ice-cream), they dashed back to Seville to tour the Real Betis stadium. The 60,000-seat stadium is the fourth biggest in Spain. They visited the changing rooms, the press room and walked down the tunnel to the pitch. In the evening they walked along the Guadalquivir river taking in our first glimpse of Sevilles impressive riverfront sights.
Friday involved a tour the sights of Seville starting with the Plaza de Toros. The guide explained the history of bull fighting in Spain whilst showing everyone round. Lucky Harry got to step inside the arena itself! The group then wandered through the pedestrianised centre to the cathedral where they saw Columbus remains, held high by four statues of the kings of Spain. We climbed the Giralda tower and enjoyed looking out over the city. After lunch, where they sampled some tortilla, we visited the UNESCO World Heritage Real Alcazar palace and saw the beautiful Moorish tiling before getting lost in the maze. In the evening they enjoyed some paella, with the more adventurous opting for black squid ink rice before taking a cruise along the river.
On Saturday, the group visited the Plaza de España to see the beautiful tiles which depict the various regions of Spain. Whilst there, they took part in the annual Spanish trip rowing boat race with the victors winning themselves another ice cream. After lunch, they packed up and headed to their second base in Matalascañas, a small beach town located in the Doñana National Park. They checked into their hotel and enjoyed a walk along the sea front and a fantastic dinner.
Finally on Sunday they had a chance to relax having walked miles and miles over the four days. After breakfast they headed to the beach where they played in the sea, dug holes and enjoyed a lovely lunch in a chiringuito (beach restaurant) before their final ice-cream!
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