Head's Newsletter - 17 January 2020

España’ . That evening, on ‘Gran Via’ itself, the students had dinner at ‘Museo de Jamón’; feasting on typical Spanish tapas- these may have been tiny, but they were wholly filling! ¡Qué ricos! The students then took the metro to the bowling alley! It was an entertaining evening! The third day was spent in admiration of Spanish art, visiting Museo Nacional Centro de

9 th of December 2019, 21 Spanish and Art student (YR11—13) met early in the morning at school to catch the coach to Gatwick airport for the flight to Madrid. The students were staying at ‘Toc Hostel’, a beautiful and homely hostel, with fabulous facilities in Madrid. The first evening, Monday the students ventured out onto the crowded streets of Madrid to explore ‘La Plaza del Sol’ and ‘La Plaza Mayor’ before dinner. These were two amazingly decorated squares with giant Christmas trees and Christmas markets and costumed characters like Spiderman and Mickey Mouse. Dinner at Fresco, an enormous buffet was truly fulfilling and saw a close to a tiring, but great day. The following day, Tuesday, a treat for football fans entailed. A tour around the Real Madrid Stadium and exhibition. Perhaps the most thrilling part of the day was when the students got to sit on the luxurious seats of the players’ dugout at field level.

Arte Reina Sofia’ and ‘El Prado.’ Two different perspectives of Spanish art, a fantastic insight into the creative minds of Spanish artists. The sun had come out by late afternoon so the perfect weather for a stroll in the famous Retiro Park in Madrid. In the evening, the students took the metro to ‘Hard Rock Café’ for scrumptious burgers, ‘American style.’ The next morning, a half an hour train ride brought the students into Toledo; a gorgeous town- the religious capital, so to speak, of Spain. Full of captivating architecture, and a combination of Islamic and Christian architecture. The final day, the students had a Tour of the ‘Palacio Real de Madrid’ an exquisitely decorated palace belonging to the royal family before making their way back to the hostel to collect their bags and travel to the airport. It was truly an amazing trip.

After the exhilarating tour of the Real Madrid stadium, the students travelled by metro to ‘Gran Via’ which is a famous street in Madrid full of designer shops and enthralling decorations. At either end of the Gran Via there are ‘Plazas’ ‘Plaza de Cibeles’ and ‘Plaza

Muchísimas gracias a Doctora Moore, Señora Medel y Señor Kyriakides.. Shakshee Ramakrishnan Year 12