During the first week of the holidays, 40 Fifth and Sixth Form pupils embarked on the College's annual Spanish trip to Salamanca. The trip is a great opportunity for pupils to improve their language skills just before the exam season as it includes twenty hours of Spanish tuition, a programme of activities conducted entirely in Spanish, and accommodation and meals with a Spanish family.
On the first full day, our pupils began their lessons in the morning before having lunch with their host families and later a guided tour of Salamanca. In the evening, after another meal with their Spanish families, the group took part in a high-energy salsa lesson. The following morning we enjoyed the typical chocolate con churros for breakfast before classes, and a treasure hunt around the centre of Salamanca - which involved a lot of interaction with the locals. That evening we also enjoyed a lively evening of karaoke, with songs performed in Spanish, English and even some German rap! The following day pupils took part in a photo rally contest after their lessons, before the evening’s tapas tour, which consisted of visiting several tapas bars and trying the speciality dish of each venue. On the Thursday we enjoyed a guided visit to the cathedral towers, which as well as providing us with information about the history of Salamanca, also gave us the opportunity to appreciate the views from the top of the towers. On our final evening, we travelled outside of the centre to a paella restaurant, which opened exclusively for us and served us delicious tomato bread, followed by a traditional Spanish paella and crema catalana for dessert.
A big thank you to the Spanish department for organising the trip and to Miss Pérez, Miss Jakes, Miss Clarke, Miss Walton and Mr Alvers for accompanying the pupils.
