Nice 2017
On 21 October last year, Forms 4, 5 and 6 set off on the trip of a lifetime to Nice. Our first activity was a visit to the beautiful Saint-Paul-de-Vence, where we all got some great photographs. This was followed by a trip to the Parfumerie Fragonard, where we learnt how many traditional French perfumes were made. We left the perfume shop smelling strongly of flowers, and laden with souvenirs for friends and family. The next day we started our language classes, and to say they were a laugh would be an understatement! Our teachers were complete characters and we became friends with them instantly. We played games, sang songs and learnt phrases that would be very beneficial for us with our exams coming up. We attended these classes every morning for the rest of the trip. We also went to the delicious sweet shop, Confiserie Florian, where we all feasted on the sugary confectionery, chocolates and jams. After a beautiful walk along the Côte d’Azur, we had the opportunity to sit back, relax and bask in the sun while taking in the beauty of Nice on an open-top bus tour. The next day was definitely a luxurious one! We wandered around Monaco, gasping at all the fancy sports cars and yachts. We saved our best outfits for this day! To our delight, there was also an opportunity to shop in Sephora. Soon enough, however, the moment we had all been dreading arrived – our last day. We shopped until we dropped in the beautiful shops that Nice had to offer, and then we were treated by the teachers to a meal in the Hard Rock Café. C’était delicieux! With teary eyes, we finally said goodbye to our beautiful hotel, the wonderful French cuisine and to Nice itself. Although our legs were walked off us, none of us would change a single second about the trip and our memories of it will live on for many years. Many thanks to Mrs Muldrew, Mrs Eakin, Miss Vincent and Mr Newell for taking this great trip.
Kate Bell, 5R & Sarah Baker, 5S
SANTANDER 2016
When we arrived in Bilbao, in the late afternoon of 22 October, we visited the Guggenheim art museum. It was very interesting. The architecture was incredible and the art work inside was spectacular- it was a great start to the trip. Then we got a coach to our hotel in Santander and went to get some sleep to prepare for our Spanish classes the next morning.
During our trip we visited the Cabárceno Wildlife Park which was amazing. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the park was surrounded by rocky hills and lots of trees and plants. On the same day, in the evening, we visited the Old Town of Santillana del Mar which was very quaint and pretty. There was an impressive church, old-fashioned houses and cobbled streets. There was also an ice cream shop with delicious ice cream!
One of the highlights of the trip was the salsa dancing and ‘hip-hop’ classes. To get there we had to walk up lots of steep steps (or catch the funicular) in the heat, with the sun beating down on us. It was worth it, because the view from the top was stunning. Once we arrived at the dance studio, the lessons began and it was so much fun, despite the fact that it was so warm. We then got some chocolate con churros which were “ muy delicioso”. We finished off that day with a shopping trip.
On another day we went on a walking tour of Santander. The sun was shining and the town was beautiful. We also had a quick visit to the Maritime museum and got to see lots of fish in the aquarium. To finish off that day we had a tapas making competition in a restaurant where we also learnt a lot about how a professional restaurant works. During the tapas making competition we had to try and make a creative and unique tapa; things got quite competitive! It was really great fun.
On our final day we had our last lessons, and then it was time to leave Santander to head home. We were all very sad to leave as it was an incredible trip and it was so much fun. We all made lots of new friends and memories, and are very grateful for the experience. Thank you very much to Mrs Eakin, Mrs Muldrew, Mrs Agnew and Ms Murphy for bringing us on this wonderful trip!
Kaitlyn Smith, 4A
Valdepeñas 2017
On 7 February, we gathered at the school lay-by to begin the first leg of our journey to Valdepeñas. Our flight was early on Wednesday morning, so we stayed overnight in Dublin. We boarded our flight to Madrid at 6.30am and we were finally on our way! When we arrived in Madrid we took a walking tour of the city and ended up in the beautiful Parque del Buen Retiro. After a fascinating guided tour around the Prado Museum, viewing the work of many influential Spanish artists such as Goya, we received some well-deserved shopping time. Later that night we arrived in Valdepeñas and were warmly welcomed by our host families.
On our first day in Valdepeñas, we went to the local school where we enjoyed listening to a number of interesting presentations about the area which were given by the pupils. After sharing our own presentations in Spanish about Northern Ireland, we joined in on some of their classroom activities. It was exciting for all of us to speak to the pupils in Spanish and find out about school life in Spain. We had free time with our families in the afternoon, and then visited a museum where we learnt more about the history of the town. It was a great day and we were able to pick up a lot of new vocabulary from our conversations with the pupils. On Friday, we went to an archaeological site just outside Valdepeñas where we enjoyed learning some more history about the region through interactive activities in the museum.
On Saturday, we travelled to Granada and visited the Alhambra Palace. We were all amazed by the beautiful architecture and detailed design. We experienced a lot of firsts on this day: our first time in Granada, our first time trying churros, and our first time playing Spanish games on the bus with the pupils!
Our final day was particularly special as we got the opportunity to spend the whole day with our host family. After visiting a churrería for breakfast, the family took us to the Angel of Valdepeñas which overlooks the town. Our last meal together was a typical Andalucian dish followed by an Oreo pie! It was a great way to finish our time with our host family.
Our time in Spain was eye-opening and we appreciated the authentic Spanish experience with our host families. However, the late meals were definitely a culture shock and a few of us nearly fell asleep at the dinner table! We would like to thank our host families and the primary school children for enhancing our experience. We also extend our thanks to Mrs Agnew and Miss Minihan for accompanying us and making this fantastic trip possible.
Sophie King and Katrina Kerr, L6H
