2023 Lake Oswego Middle School Spain Cultural Journey
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Blog 6
Written by Rohan S
Hello! For our second to last day, we spent the morning riding the Ave, the fastest bullet train in Europe, from Córdoba to Madrid. Next, we immediately went to eat lunch at a delicious buffet. After that, many of us went shopping, exploring Madrid and hanging out with friends. We went to the Mercado San Miguel to buy tapas (that means snacks), and eat them together with friends. The market offered everything, from empanadas, traditional South American pastries, to churros with chocolate sauce! It was a joy for everyone involved. After we went to the market, we did an appreciation activity between all of us, by passing around sheets of paper and writing messages to them. For our last activity of today, we went to dinner at a place called Topolino’s. The food there was amazing, I got to know people at the last minute, and we even did an impromptu photo shoot! We ended the day walking back the hostel, seeing a PRIDE concert on the way (we didn’t have time to check it out.). It was lights out at 11:30, and what a spectacular experience! It was an incredible end to our time together in Spain, and one I’m going to remember!
Blog 5
Written by Jon l
On this day we started out with a late breakfast. There we 2 groups of people first group from 9:00-9:30 the second from 9:30-10:00. After breakfast we had to clean and pack up our room because they were a mess. At 10:30 we got on the bus to Córdoba. We had a nice scenic bus ride witch was a hour and a half long. We we got to Córdoba we were treated to a nice lunch and a pool. After a couple of hours relaxing by the pool we went to the Mezquita de Cordoba. We saw some amazing architecture. After this, we went on a scavenger hunt all around the center of the city. The scavenger hunt lead us to a great Spanish restaurant. Our group walked back to the hotel and had a final meeting to end of the day. Everyone finally went to their rooms at 12 and enjoyed this fun day of adventures!
Blog 4
Written by Addie Ellis
Today, we went to a cooking class about 15 minutes away and we made a delicious payaya and a refreshing gazpacho. After we cooked and ate our food, we headed back to our hostel and we had about an hour break and then we headed to a cathedral and viewed Christopher Columbus’ grave.
Then after that, we went back to our hostel. After, we went to dinner in downtown Sevilla and had a good dinner! Then we headed back and had our meeting. Now were going to bed after watching movies!
Blog 3
Written by Nava H
Our day started off bright and early with breakfast at seven, though that seemed nearly impossible for the spain crew. Then we had an hour car ride for people to talk, and sleep while we go to our hike. First, we started off with a cool cave as a pre warm up for El Camanito Del Ray. Once we got on the bridges we saw cannons, valleys, water and cliffs. The more you walked the more beautiful sights you saw. The water was a beautiful tear color and clear. Overall it was a once in a lifetime adventure with breathtaking views from about 240 feet! After our hike we met with the few people that sat out and we all drank drinks to cool off. Afterwards we went to a swimming hole filled with native spaniards. Everyone had a blast in the sun, and got tans and a few burns. People played chicken fights, threw a ball, or read a book. We all became friends with two kids our age, Marta and Diego who have been practicing english sense they were young (que guay). We all fell in love with their humor and personality so much we have their what’s app! Then we went to our bus and traveled to Sevilla, and got settled in to our hostel. We immediately noticed the extreme heat and tried our best to stay cool. Later, we walked to a fancy restaurant and enjoyed the food. Lastly you were left with the option to shop or chill at the hotel. Talk to you tomorrow!
Blog 2
Written by Maxine C
First, we came downstairs to a breakfast buffet until 9:40, when we took the bus on an extremely beautiful and scenic route to the historic Alhambra. Our tour guide took us through the Generalife (the summer palace), the main palace, and the rest of the majestic castle. The detailed plaster and ceramic tiles on the wall were truly a sight to behold, as well as the view of Granada that is second to none. If you closed your eyes, you could hear nothing but the other tourists and the pretty fountains where the water was so clear you could see everything in it. Next, we went to lunch and had a delicious seafood soup and fried pork and mushrooms, along with yummy dessert! Then, we went shopping for trinkets and souvenirs for about an hour and after, made the trek back to the hotel. At 7:10, we got ready in our nice clothes and headed to our flamenco performance! The improvised dancing and beautiful dresses made for an amazing night. We then had chicken and potatoes for dinner and ice cream for dessert and made our way back to the hotel. ¡Buenas noches!
Blog 1
Written by Peyton A
First we woke up to a breakfast at 8am then got ready for a tour that started by seeing the home of the mouse, which is the tooth fairy of spain. we learned about history and the local culture while walking throughout the heart of madrid. We also learned about the food (specifically churros and chocolate from San Gines) and saw the beautiful and historic churches, palaces, and even went to the origin and heart of madrid. After going to the museum to see paintings and sculptures from up to the 1900s, we ate lunch at Retiro Park and admire the lake. To get back to the hostel, we rode the subway, but before going back to grab our bags, we bought snacks for the long bud ride ahead to granada. on the 5 hour ride we shared snacks and drinks, talked, texted our friends back home, although most of us slept at some point. After our 30 minute break on the road we still had miles to go so we spent them doing trivia, and doing (listening to the teachers do) karaoke. Once we arrived in Granada, we quickly dropped our bags in our (small but cozy) rooms and then headed down to the simple culinary experience that was the hotel meal! After ending off the night with a meeting and reminding everyone to support each other, we were off to bed for the exciting day ahead! ¡Hasta mañana Ciudad de Granada!