Spain

On Sunday, March 19th we sent Kaden and Colin off to south Spain for their language trip. It was Kaden's birthday that day so I purchased 80 crispy creme donuts for the bus to help Kaden in celebrating his birthday. They arrived in Seville with beautiful sunny weather. Their first activity was a river cruise on the Guadalquivir that evening. 

Monday they visited the impressive Plaza de España, built in 1929 for the Universal Expo, is known for its architecture that merges several styles, Renaissance, Revival and Neo-Mudéjar. Towers, spires, patios, lakes, bridges and fountains, all encouraged a creative response to the photography competition the boys had amongst all the students. Parque Maria Luisa, surrounding the square, was enjoyed by ball games and ice creams. Onto the Seville Cathedral, the largest gothic cathedral in the world, plus its bell tower - the Giralda - which the boys climbed, offering them great views of the city down below. The Cathedral interiors were beautiful and majestic, in the way of European Christian temples. In particular, the magnificent interiors, the magnificent high alter, the gold religious relics and the tomb of Christopher Columbus who set off from nearby Huelva on his quest to find the New World. Although he thought he was in route for the Indies, we now know he landed in the Americas. The evening ended with bowling fun and competitions. 

Plaza de España

Seville Cathedral

Tomb of Christopher Columbus

 Bowling Fun

Tuesday they travelled to Granada with a stop in Cordoba. The "mezquita" (mosque) of Cordoba is in fact a Catholic cathedral. They learned about the unique combination of Moorish and Renaissance architecture, paintings and religious artifacts which tell of a rich, varied and bloody history of a city and a kingdom: Christianity triumphs over Islam, leading to the infamous Spanish Inquisition and the outlawing of any religious worship, other than Catholicism. Their city guide, Maria, pointed out that the modern-day Cordoba Cathedral lies within the Mosque and is the must-see monument in that part of the world. Arriving in Granada the boys admired the Sierra Nevada in the distance, a rocky and mountainous terrain of East Andalusia.

Mosque of Cordoba

Wednesday the boys took Spanish lessons in the morning (which they were not excited about. They felt that they needed a break from Spanish), followed by a tapas luncheon at a local restaurant, and toured the Alhambra Palace - the most visited monument in all of Spain. After lunch they played ball games in the park and headed for dinner. 

Spanish lessons

Alhambra Palace 

Thursday was Colin’s birthday. They made it special by getting cakes and pastries and singing happy birthday to him. The last day was a full day. Flamenco dancing lessons, Zumba, paddle football and soccer, a full day of sports and physical activity.  They toured the city of Granada on foot before dinner, it was a great way to discover the city. The pretty, cobbled streets, narrow and twisted, all pell-mell, are many people's idea of the quintessential southern Spain, while the small houses with their balconies overgrown with geraniums in flower pots, almost on every street corner, add to the color and quaint elegance. In the centre, the views of the Alhambra and the snow-capped Sierra Nevada as a backdrop certainly enhanced the area's appeal. The boys absolutely enjoyed this trip and chatted non-stop about it when they arrived home.