2019 Spanish Study Tour
Salamanca & Granada
14/04/19 - SUNDAY
Caroline Shi It was a Sunday, so that meant we got a free day to rest, do other school work or just to go out in the city. Netra, Tharushi and I were a little late getting out of bed as we spent a few extra hours letting our legs recover from the many steps we had taken the day before. We ate breakfast and were informed by our host mother that today was the beginning of the Salamanca Holy Week processions where the many citizens, both young and old, of Salamanca dressed in traditional robes and uniforms to parade around the city. It all culminates in the parading of a large diorama of Jesus riding a donkey as well as the Virgin Mary and other famous saints sitting around the donkey. Our host mother suggested we go watch the parade as it is a very sacred tradition in Salamanca. So at 11:30 am we left the apartment to meet with the others to watch the procession. We took a little while to reach the Plaza de Mayor as we were still feeling that pinching ache in our calves and thighs. By the time we reached the Plaza, a collection of musicians dressed in black marching uniforms, began to bang their drums and a wall of triumphant thumps and horns filled the streets. We realised that in order to meet the others at the cathedral we would have to awkwardly trail the thundering band so we did just that, filming the entire thing (follow @peppapiginspain on Instagram you won’t regret it). An awkward five minutes later we reached the cathedral where a crowd of people had gathered all around the front of the church, eagerly watching the band enter the cathedral doors. In the next 20 minutes the two massive cathedral doors would open and several hundreds of people would trickle out the doors holding ceremonial bay leaf branches. We stood and watched as teenagers and children dressed in several different robes walked out holding their heads high as they inched through the crowded streets. When the time finally came for the massive diorama to be lifted there were some difficulties with getting the thing out the doors. As gloriously detailed the diorama was, with fresh flowers and leaves adorning the figures, it was pretty funny watching them struggle to get it out the door. After that, we decided that we would go home and try to get some Australian school work done as Mr Anderson said that next week would be jam packed with activities as we only have four days left in Salamanca! We walked home after getting lost in a crowd for a little bit, stealing some jamón from Mr Anderson and Parky and getting the actual soul scared out of me by a living statue.
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Ávila:
Once we arrived in Ávila, we hopped off the bus and headed into a tourist office. There we took a little bit of a break and prepared ourselves for the several kilometres to come. From there we walked into the entrance of the “Muralla de Ávila” we were then given a device that provided us with information about the architecture, history, legends and more. There was several recordings about various different things. One being about a women who grew a beard to deter the affection of men. Once we got through all the recordings we met up at the end and saw the incredible view. It was very calm and relaxing at the top. I managed to take a few gorgeous photos as well. (as seen below) Once we all completed the long walk, we headed into Ávila’s plaza mayor. There we disbursed into the streets in look for some delicious treats. After 20 minutes of searching for lollies we gathered back into the plaza and walked back to our bus. While we waited for the rest of the group to arrive at the bus stop. Mr Anderson handed out an egg yolk treat. I tried it, but didn’t seem to like it. It literally tasted like sweet eggs. After that new experience we all boarded the bus and headed back to Salamanca. Where our host family’s awaited us. Cheers to another exciting adventure in España :) Segovia:
Our day began with a morning bus ride from Salamanca to Segovia. During the trip we observed a change in scenery from city, suburban to countryside. After travelling for a while we arrived at our destination. Our first point of interest was the Alcázar of Segovia. The Alcázar's construction commenced during the 11th century, first serving as a fortress. It has since been used as a Royal Palace, Royal Artillery College, military academy and is currently a museum. Inside the castle were many interesting rooms, notably the Hall of Kings, which was lined with the raised portraits of various Spanish monarchs. In another room was a large painting which covered the entire wall. It is believed that the people in this painting have no eyes as they did not want to bear witness to queen Isabel’s rule, as her claim to the throne was not earned through right of birth, rather by means of violence. After touring the interior, we then climbed up the many, spiraling steps to the top of the tower. Despite many finding the stairway claustrophobic , once reaching the top, the views proved to be very rewarding As the day began to become warmer, we continued to explore Segovia, strolling through the plaza and visiting the Roman aqueduct. The aqueduct was built over 2 millennia ago and still stands strong. At over 16 km long, the aqueduct provided easy access to water for the town of Segovia. It was constructed by stacking stones on top of each other, held together only by gravity. After taking many photos, we retuned to the bus and set off to Ávila. Today brings an end to the first week of the tour! We started our day in a way that we’ve come to be well accustomed to by now- with morning classes. The weather has started to look up a little more now, reaching an all-time high (since we arrived) of around 16°C, and we have finally started to settle into our routines fully. Tharushi, Caroline and I have come to enjoy our morning classes with Sidath, Laura and Hannah, and we all enjoy working together on our bookwork and finding answers together (even if the tasks perhaps were not intended to be collaborative). The accent in Spain is something that we were not exposed to in Australia, with our past teachers having Latin American accents, so this trip has been extremely challenging but also very eye opening. After the classes, we all headed off to a quick but rewarding trip to the Ieronimus Towers. While the steep winding stairs posed a challenge for some of us, we all enjoyed it greatly. The outlook from the top of the towers was breathtaking, and it felt like we could see the entire city from the height. This activity has probably been one of the many highlights of my experience in Spain so far, and provided me yet another opportunity to admire the preservation of Salamanca’s beautiful architecture. After the walk to the Ieronimus Towers, we all headed our own ways for lunch and rest with our homestay families. Later in the early evening, some of the group headed out for a bicycle tour of the city. I (and a few others) did not end up going on this tour, instead opting to stay home and attempt to make a start on my seemingly endless piles of homework, but from the pictures of those who went, it seems to have been an amazing experience with even more breathtaking views. While we’re all still recovering from the remnants of jetlag and fatigue, this trip has been incredible so far, and Salamanca is a stunningly beautiful city. I look forward to the rest of the trip, and improving my Spanish language skills and cultural understanding even further! DAY 4 BLOG POST 11/4/19
Tharushi Lankathilaka We started Thursday off the same as we have in the last few days, with our classes! The walk to school today felt slightly longer to Netra, Caroline and I due to the temperature. We reached a new low of 0 °C! We met up with everyone else at Enforex and started our classes. By this point, we have nearly gotten used to our teachers only communicating in Spanish and understanding their accents. Prior to this trip, I had only been exposed to the Latin American accent and not the Spanish accent. During class, we all support each other very well by discussing the work as we completed it (even though there have been some disagreements over conjugations but it is all in good fun). In today’s lesson, we continued learning more about the culture of different Spanish cities, practising our speaking and learning tenses. Our lessons ended with a surprise from Mr Anderson, an optional trip to the Museum of Art Nouveau and Art Deco Casa Lis or generally known as Casa Lis! While many of us were quite tired from the long trips in the last few days, most of us decided to go on the trip. I was extremely glad I decided to go, as the museum contained many original works by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro and Salvador Dali. I was very excited when I saw Picasso’s work, as I never thought I would have the chance to see his artwork in real life! The rest of the museum was also very beautiful and interesting to look around, however, we were very sad to find out that we would not be able to take photos inside the museum… There was also an entire section dedicated to dolls. Dolls have never been my favourite thing so I was honestly a little bit scared. I swear the eyes of one of them were following me around! After the museum, we were able to go back home and eat lunch. In the afternoon, we decided to have some free time to rest after a long few days. We also had time to hopefully finish some homework from Australia. DAY 3 BLOG POST 10/4/19 Hannah Green Today was our fourth day in Spain, and by now, most of us had adjusted to the shockingly cold walks to school and the constant use of Spanish incorporated into daily life. After some class rearrangements we finally felt more comfortable in our new classes. In Laura and my class with Sidath, Netra, Caroline and Tharushi, we had all been supporting and helping each other adjust by working as a group and brainstorming in order to see each other’s different learning tactics and perspectives. Today in class at Enforex, we focused on the use of the Preterite indefinite Past tense in order to describe our past travels, etc. By helping each other we were all able to benefit and learn from each other’s mistakes and examples which ultimately helped all of us learn more and feel more comfortable around each other. After school had ended, our teacher, Ernesto, took the whole group to the Markets of Salamanca to partake in some cultural activities surrounding food. We got to further experience and see the differences between life and food in Spain in comparison to Australia. After the initial shock of seeing hooves, pig feet, tongues and eyes wore off, we finished the activity and headed home for siesta and lunch with fresh strawberries in hand courtesy of Parky. At 4:30pm we met again in the streets beside Enforex before heading off with our tour guide to see museum of Art deco and Modern Art -- DA2, previously known as the main prison in Salamanca which ultimately closed back in 2002. While attempting to walk to the art museum, the group was struck by a sudden hail storm, which took us all by surprise. With soggy socks and squeaky shoes we finally took shelter inside. Our art guide, Veronika, took us around and showed us the art series on display. The main common theme highlighted throughout all of the art exhibitions was the significance and similarities between humans and nature as explained by Veronika as "Empheral". Two main art pieces that really struck out at me were the tree suspended against a blank wall and a series of photographs with blank spaces, filled with leaves. The tree against the blank wall signified how the tree how taken out of its usual environment and as a result of that it died. It was interesting to watch Veronika explain the motive and thoughts behind the art. The other piece of art, the photographs had two parts to interpret. The framed photos had black spaces replaced by leaves for each year of the artist’s life but as the artist grew older more and more blank spaces appeared to signify blank spaces/delusions in the artist’s memories. In the second part there were medical scripts hung up on a wall in chronological order along with phrases from books strung from tree branches. The medication scripts told a story that also fit with the previous narrative of the leaves in the photographs and how the artist’s mental and physical state deteriorated from birth until death. Veronika was a great tour guide and we learnt a lot in terms of modern art and the history of the institution itself. Despite the brief hail storm, we had a great day and learnt a lot. I hope that the weather improves as the forecast predicts in preparation for Semana Santa! Today was our second day of Spanish study at Enforex, and most of us could agree that today’s lessons were much better and more relaxed than yesterday, since we were now less jet-lagged and better adjusted to only using Spanish in the classroom (even though we desperately needed dictionaries at times). It was great to see how everyone’s Spanish has improved significantly since coming to Spain and being constantly exposed to the Spanish language and culture. Once our lessons at Enforex finished, we went to have lunch (and of course, take a siesta!) until quarter to four, where we met again to take a tour of the Cathedrals.
During the tour of the Old and New Cathedrals, we learned a lot about the historical and religious significance of Salamanca in Europe. I thought it was very interesting to see the mix of Gothic and Renaissance elements in the architecture in the buildings. There were two things in particular that I noticed during our tour, the first being the beautifully painted ceiling, which actually fell down during the Lisbon earthquake in 1755 and was repainted and the second being the New and Old church organs. One side had the original Renaissance organ and on the other side was a Baroque-style organ. What was really incredible to hear was that the Baroque-style organ did not need any repairs as the climate in Salamanca was so good at preserving it while the other organ was also successfully restored by a Japanese organ-maker. We also learned about Cid, the man credited for restoring Christianity in Spain. Overall, the tour of the Cathedral was very enjoyable, although a little unsettling at times (mainly when we viewed a preserved arm that might be petrified). After our tour of the cathedrals, we went off in our own ways and went to the park and the mobile shop to recharge data on our sims before going home for dinner. Now that we’ve been given some context about religion and culture in Salamanca, I’m excited to see Semana Santa for the first time and hope that our knowledge of both the Spanish language and culture will improve over time as we uncover more about this historically rich country.
Our first day at Enforex + tour of Salamanca; This morning Hannah and I both woke up early, we were wide awake at 5:30. After packing our bags and eating breakfast we left for our first day of Spanish classes. Like others, I was a little nervous for the first class. When we arrived at the Enforex building, Hannah and I had to find our way up the stairs, through multiple doors and way too many turns. We thought we were going to take a level test this morning, but luckily we managed to get out of it. We were all placed in the same class apart from the fabulous Marcela and Andrea.
For me, the class was a little challenging. As it is run purely in Spanish, it was hard to adjust from using English/Spanish to just Spanish, I found it hard to keep up and comprehend what the teachers were saying. We have to 'lessons' with two different teachers, they are each 2 hours with a 20 minute break in-between. Hannah and I have noticed the road rules/cultural norms in Salamanca are quite different to those in Australia. There are zebra crossings on almost every street and, on most of the smaller streets pedestrians cross the road while cars give way to them. However, on the busier roads, there are still stop lights and road crossings. In Australia, we normally wait until there is a gap in the traffic to cross the road and if a car lets us cross we acknowledge them/thank them, Hannah and I have slowly realised this isn't necessary here. After school and siesta for the day, the group met up outside of the school to meet our historical tour guide, Enrique. We followed Enrique through windy roads until we were met with the first attraction, the beautiful facade/architecture of the Convento de San Esteban, home to nuns in the 16th century and famously known as the place where Christopher Columbus devised his expedition to sail east in hopes of finding India, instead discovering the Americas. After seeing the Convento de San Paolo, we then followed the roads to find La Cueva de Salamanca. La Cueva de Salamanca is also widely known for its history of dark arts/magic as well as demons and evil spirits. Thirdly, we then walked our way to the park of Huerto De Calixto y Melibea. Enrique, our tour guide explained to use the sad story of Calixto y Melibea, a tale of a man, Calixto that was cursed by a witch after asking her to place a love spell over his love interest, Melibea. On our journey back to the Plaza Mayor the group stopped at the Catedral de Salamanca. Enrique explained to us that on one of the most popular sides of the cathedrals' facade there featured an astronaut on the door, which was a result of remodeling the exterior to document the historical context of the time and that before the revolution there were houses that lined the plaza just outside of the cathedral but after the revolution the French preferred that the architecture was visible for all to see. Finally before ending the tour of Salamanca, we stopped off at the Iglesia Catedral and la Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca. After the tour finished we said our goodbyes and headed for churros before walking home to enjoy some pasta before bed. After finally having arrived at our destination. We hoped on a bus and drove from the airport into Madrid. Where we were going to pick up a group of Italian exchange students. When we arrived we left the bus and decided to walk around, while we waited for the Italian students. I saw a lot of beautiful architecture everywhere. It was very interesting to see the difference between Adelaide and Madrid. Once the Italian students arrived we embarked on our 3hr bus ride to Salamanca. The bus ride there wasn’t too much fun, but we did see some beautiful scenery. From the snowy mountains to a beautiful sunset. It was very peaceful, well for the most part...Italian music is intense. When we arrived in Salamanca we did see a lot of Spanish houses and stores. It was all finally starting to kick in, that we were in España! We arrived in Madrid yesterday after an entire day of flying, and I was surprised at how cold it was once we left the airport (very different from my definition of spring!). We stopped in the Plaza de España for a little while and took some photos in front of the Don Quixote statue and then got on the bus to Salamanca. On the way there, the scenery was beautiful. Everything, including the trees, houses and snowy mountains, was picturesque with the blue sky. When we arrived in Salamanca, it was raining and freezing cold (I don’t think I’ve felt that cold in a while). I met my homestay family and went to their house, which is at a very convenient location close to Enforex and the Plaza Mayor. I live here with my homestay Pacqui and her mother Lucía as well as Noa, a university student from China. We took a walk near the Plaza and watched a performance in a Church practicing for Semana Santa. So far it has been great, and I’m hoping to learn more about Salamanca and the Spanish culture in the upcoming days. On our first day in Spain we woke up feeling quite cold to a welcoming 4° at around 6am. Laura and I then got ready and decided to go out for a walk around the city of Salamanca to find our bearings. We bought churros and walked our way around La Parque de los Jesuitas, while seeing lots of dogs on our way. We then decided to go home after bumping into Tharushi, Caroline, Netra and Sidath in the Plaza Mayor. We discovered La Catedral de Salamanca, bought the iconic tourist must-have: la Universidad de Salamanca jumper and made our way back home. After lunch at 2pm we then decided to meet with Andrea, Marcela, Kiara and Veronika at 3:30 before preparing to meet the rest of the group at 4pm. After spending some time touring the Plaza mayor and seeing the Enforex school building we made our way home for dinner, had our long awaited showers and then went to bed after our exhaustingly long day. Due to the long flights, it was hard to get a proper first impression of España on the first day; also the Italian rap played by Italian students on the bus didn’t really help. However, we will never forget the loud dubstep for most of the drive. Our first proper impression of España was that the architecture was very beautiful and different from Australia. Especially in Salamanca, the buildings are very tall and have a lot of historical value. The city culture is also very different, for example in Madrid, it was very busy and loud but in Salamanca, it is very peaceful and tranquil. It is also very interesting that every city has a main plaza where many people can meet and look at ancient yet modern buildings. Our homestay family is very kind and accommodating and we are all very excited to continue exploring Salamanca and its history, as well as the snowy mountains of España. España, a long awaited journey. After almost flying for a whole day crammed like sardines in a can we were free. But there was a catch a 3 hour bus ride to Salamanca with Italians, Mama Mama Mia. The constant Italian raps made our heads almost explode. As we gazed outside the window the beautiful snowy mountains caught our attention. The snow was stunning but realisation hit that it was going to be freezing. We were right, it was very cold, not what we were expecting or packed for. Kiara and I took at walk in the dark for 20 min to the apartment of our host family. Morning hits and it's 6 am, wide awake ready to go. The morning was spent with our heads in our textbooks learning and gathering information. We then went to the Plaza Mayor and got lost in the busy city life. But no need to worry we found Starbucks and spent way to much money on a mediocre caramelo frappuccino. The view that Salamanca provided was much more sweeter than the bitter taste of the frappuccino.
Friday the 5th of April 2019, the 4th School of Languages Spanish Study Tour students and teachers left for Spain. We departed at 10:30pm and traveled 24 hours before arriving and enjoying another 4 hours in the bus from Madrid to Salamanca. In a testament to the strength, endurance and sheer excitement of the students, we all arrived happy, healthy and full of desire to soak in as much Spain as we could. Unfortunately, those qualities only made it to the bus and then reality took over, I will let the pictures do the talking. All of the participants have now been paced in our homestay families and enjoyed our first wonderful, even if unseasonably cold, day in Salamanca. I will now let the students to the talking. |
AuthorWelcome to the School of Languages 2019 Spanish Study Tour, taking place in Salamanca and Granada ArchivesCategories |