Just before Half Term an intrepid group of pupils set out for a five night visit to Valencia. Lower 6 pupil, Jacob Gandy, reflects on the trip...
"After an early departure from Tombland, around 30 pupils made their way to Stanstead airport for an 8am flight to Valencia. After landing into an uncharacteristically rainy Spain, we took the metro from the airport to the centre of the city where we met our host families who would be looking after us for the duration of our stay. We then quickly unpacked our belongings, before heading to Taronja language school who hosted us on a walking tour of the city.
Despite the weather, spirits were high as we toured the many plazas of Valencia, visited the cathedral which supposedly houses the Holy Grail, and ate local speciality ‘bunuelos’. After a meal out, we were all very tired so headed back to our host families for an early night.
Day two started with an ‘intercambio’ with a local secondary school, located in the el Saler district of Valencia. We were divided into groups and chatted with the students in Spanish. Despite being a little daunting at first, it was a great way to practise our Spanish in a more casual way than in the classroom, and it was super fun to get to know some Spanish students our age. In the afternoon, we had language lessons at Taronja school, which involved us carrying out a survey with members of the public. In the evening, the Fifth Form had dinner with their host families to practise their speaking skills, while Sixth Form pupils went to ‘Casa Toni’ for an evening of tapas, Spanish culture and impromptu karaoke!
On Friday morning we had our final set of classes at Taronja school, and after a tapas lunch in the plaza, the 5th form embarked on a graffiti tour of the city, exploring its thriving modern art scene. After the tour, they had the opportunity to try graffiti themselves! Meanwhile, the Sixth Form toured the Fallas museum, learning more about Valencia’s traditional ‘Fallas’ celebrations. It was fascinating to see the progression of styles and techniques used to create these intricate ‘ninots’ or ‘falles’, and to learn more about the history of the festival itself. In the evening, we watched a traditional Flamenco show at a local restaurant. It was amazing to see the performance in person!
Spirits remained high on day four as we took the train from ‘estacio del nord’ to ‘Xativa’, around an hour south of Valencia. We visited the local museums and then headed off to climb the mountain to reach the hilltop castle. The views from the top were breath-taking, and the history and architecture of the castle were fascinating. With both our Spanish speaking teachers absent, the pressure fell on the Sixth formers to communicate with the locals and tour guides. It was a great experience to further practise our Spanish. We took the train back to Valencia and enjoyed another delicious tapas meal.
On Sunday we took the tram to the beach where we enjoyed a morning of beach games and fun, despite the unfortunately cloudy and cool weather. After trying some delicious paellas for lunch, we then headed to the ultramodern ‘City of Arts and Sciences’, where we visited the aquarium, and explored the surrounding buildings and park. Afterwards, we watched a film in the IMAX theatre, where many pupils (and staff) fell asleep! We had some free time in the evening to further explore Valencia and its many side streets, cobbled alleyways and squares.
On our final day in Valencia, the Fifth Form visited ‘el mercado central’ to buy ingredients for the paellas for an cooking class with the enigmatic Chef Nando. It was great to further understand all that goes into making a delicious paella. Meanwhile, the Sixth formers had a dance class in bachata, flamenco and salsa. Despite none of us being particularly gifted at any of the dance styles, the class was super fun and a great way to end the trip. With a final walk through Valencia, we headed to the airport to catch our flight back to England. We eventually found our coach and later that evening we arrived back in Tombland.
The trip to Valencia was the perfect opportunity to practise speaking Spanish, and the cultural knowledge of Spanish culture we gained was invaluable. Finally, all the pupils would like to thank the teachers who accompanied us on this amazing trip, especially Mrs Nagel who managed to organise the trip, with her never-ending positivity."
