Over the Easter break, a group of Year 10 students embarked on a trip to Valencia to spend time being fully immersed in Spanish language and culture. Throughout the trip, students were kindly hosted by generous families while participating in morning language sessions at Espanolé, a Spanish language school situated in the heart of the city. Not to forget, afternoons were jam-packed, with a varied and busy programme of activities were arranged.
Across the week, students participated in a comprehensive city tour and a trip to the La Albufera Natural Park where the students enjoyed a scenic boat ride on the lake, received insight into the farming of paella rice, and strolled along El Saler Beach. Later in the week, students explored their way through the bustling atmosphere of the food market, followed by a leisurely stroll through Turia Park to reach the much-awaited destination of Valencia football, Mestalla Stadium. They ended the week with a trip to the City of Arts and Sciences, with educational excursions to the science museum and the Oceanographic, Europe’s largest aquarium.
Thank you to Mr Lawrence, Mrs Gómez and Mrs Shooter for their attendance and support on the trip. Ravjoth (10M1) shared the following account on his time in Valencia:
“The first day, we had a quiz tour with Matías, our guide throughout the trip. Then had a quick merienda of chocolate con churros (Spanish snack) in the famous Valor cafeteria.
On the second day, we had our usual lessons in the morning followed by a beautiful boat tour in the Albufera, touring rice fields and learning about the carefully structured water system in Valencia. After this, we went to the beach to relax as a group in the 29-degree heat.
The third day was easily the most anticipated with a trip to the Valencia C.F. Football Stadium. The lessons this morning involved role-play scenarios speaking Spanish in the Central Valencian market, Mercado Central, I personally relished the prospect of being able to use the Spanish skills I had learnt in a practical and useful manner. After lunch, we walked through the Turia park to the Mestalla football stadium. The tour clearly showcased the intense meticulous care needed to preserve such a pristine stadium. Walking back to the school we now had a paella cooking show combined with a Latin dance class!
Finally, we had a last block of lessons with a final test, we said a last thank you to our hardworking teachers at Espanolé for the helpful lessons and all boarded the coach to the City of Arts and Sciences. The aquarium buildings were phenomenal with sharks, stingrays and beluga whales. After this, we walked over to the massive science museum demonstrating the stunning architecture of Valencia.”