PCSST
Spain
Student / Teacher Journal
April 3rd – 12th, 2007
Spain 2007 Journal
Ms. Katz Tuesday 4/3 6:45p.m.
“Reflections at the Airport”
Ten months in the making. Our group of twenty-five is casually strewn about gate C20. Blue and orange daypacks litter each row of seats. In about an hour we’ll be on board and not long often that crossing the Atlantic.
I picked Spain this year because it was the runner-up choice of so many after our first international trip participants to Paris and Rome; Greece won out last year. While so many were interested in Spain, back then I thought Greece was a better curriculum choice for my World History I students. Now I'm thinking, Greece will be a tough act to follow.
Here I am with a dozen sophomores from World History II (and others) and I never would have predicted what a marvelous match Spain would be supplementing this year’s history curriculum.
For weeks my mind has ping-ponged between class and our itinerary. What will be of most interest to the students? What will they most remember? What will they most enjoy? Will they connect with the early lessons about the Spanish explorers? After all, we will visit the cathedral where Columbus’ remains are buried. Will they be willing to let their own culture take a back seat to be awed by the beauty of the Moorish architecture, and delve into the cornucopia of religious and cultural influences?
At the Prado, how much interest will the students show in the early Spanish masters – El Greco (The Greek), Velazquez and Goya? Perhaps a student or two will recognize the artist they presented as freshman – maybe even a specific work of art. Their choices will be from the Italian and Northern European renaissance masters – Brueghel, Titian, Durer, Raphael and others.
Throughout the journey, I know I will feel tested. Did I teach them all I could? Did they learn? I’m hoping for more than one exclamation at the Museum Reina Sofia, an addition I requested to the itinerary, where our budding art critics can spot the originals by Picasso and other cubists, Miro and Gris, but also art by Dali who is synonymous with surrealism.
A ferry ride to Morocco and we will hopefully move through a labyrinth of markets. How much will Morocco have changed since my first visit twenty-five years ago?
For that matter how much will Spain have changed? I was last there in 1976. Only now after teaching World History II do I have a true appreciation of the changes that must be evident after the death of Franco in 1975. What will my students recall about the Spanish Civil War? What questions will they ask at the Valley of the Fallen?
Now that we've boarded the plane, I relax and observe the maturity and good nature of the PCSST caste. I can only hope this trip will exceed everyone’s expectations. For the youngest travelers as well as older first-timers, may this trip expose them to the joys of travel and the beginning of many new experiences. For our entourage of twenty-five, I look forward to looking backward – reading our composite journal and what each of us takes home as our most memorable moment or experience never before imagined.
Travelers: Buena Suerte & Happy Journeys!
Gabriel Vega 4/3/07
“First Take Off”
What a rush! From running around in the airport to boarding the plane. As soon as I was by the gate my heart started to race! The people greet you very nicely…It’s a surprise when they do so many flights back and forth. As soon as I was seated I was beyond hyper my heart was ready to jump out! Delano kept telling me to hold on but it wasn’t helping! There was rush hour traffic so it took 20 minutes of sitting on the plane to take off. In that time I calmed myself down and got over the fact I was going to be thousands of feet in the air! When it took off it was like a closed, fast-paced roller coaster going full speed. All I could think about was crashing, but nothing like that happened. At first there was no turbulence but soon we did hit a little, though it wasn’t so bad. The feeling of looking down seeing the city lights was overwhelming! It was not a bad take off at all… really….I just hope the landing is not bad!
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Brandon Everson 4/3/07
“Taking Off”
Today I learned how grueling the process of boarding a plane really is! Unfortunately for me, I wore the wrong jeans; they were falling off while we moved through security. I thought taking off would be worse, but that was the easy part! As we sat on the plane, waiting to go, I got nervous and chewed the flavor out of five pieces of gum in maybe ten minutes. To make it worse, rush-hour traffic from New York delayed take off for twenty minutes, the scariest twenty minutes of my life.
The last time I flew on a plane, I was about a year old, maybe two. All I could think of was crashing into the Atlantic. Yet when it was finally time for our plane to take off, all I could do was laugh. I do not understand why, but I laughed until we were told we could take our seatbelts off. Now I’m really excited about what we are going to do once we get to Spain. The only bad thing about that is that we now have to land; that’s the part that I’m dreading. But who knows, maybe I’ll laugh it off, hopefully.
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Sevinc Gorucu 4/3/07
“About to Land”
The flight went by pretty quick. At first I was extremely nervous and kept freaking out whenever there was turbulence (which was like every ten seconds). Then it got better. I got used to it. I ate, watched the movie and even managed to get some sleep. Right now I’m freezing cold (because I’m right next to two windows) so it messed up my stomach a little. I even had to steal Brandon's blanket. So right now it’s less than an hour until landing (9:00 a.m.). We were scheduled to land at 9:36. I’m really, really excited. I can’t wait.
P.S the clouds look awesome from up here.
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Adrian Sanchez 4/4/07
“First Day “
The first day was one I will never forget. It was a very tiring day. It was a very cool day though. I went on a train that was probably more advanced than ours. I also saw a beautiful museum of paintings and sculptures. We then went back to the hotel for a 30-minute break. Then we went to the plaza square. There we took pictures of statues.
We went to dinner and ate pasta with bread as an appetizer. Then we went back to the hotel. This was our amazing day.
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Raquel Orozco 4/5/07
“My Adventure So Far…”
I’ve always dreamed of traveling! I always thought it was easy…but I thought wrong! I traveled on a plane for more than 5 hours that was so tiring. We watched Dreamgirls and we were served two meals and a snack. The flight was okay! Then we finally got to Madrid, Spain. My personal experience of staying for the first time in a hotel across the world with two people I’ve never thought that I would sleep in the same room with! It is a good experience because you learn how to keep your priorities straight – clean up after yourself, make sure you go to sleep early enough to wake up early enough to get dressed and freshen up! I hope all the teenagers in the world can experience this! Spain is so beautiful and has some of the biggest museums like the Prado, (the biggest museum in the world.) In the Prado there were some of the best paintings. We’ve also went to a beautiful memorial of Cervantes; it was a beautiful park and memorial. We also saw an Egyptian Temple that was very beautiful. It was surrounded by a nice park. We had a good time! But my favorite part was going to the museum and seeing the paintings displayed. We saw the actual brush strokes on the canvas, and I loved the way we knew what we were looking at and whose art was whose. (Thanks to Ms. Katz’s WH II class.) I loved it. I actually think that I will major in a class to do with art. I love it! My favorite artist is Dali. He has surrealistic pictures with great meanings in his paintings, wonderful colors, and great ideas. We also took a stop at the king and queen's house! We saw how they lived. They were very lucky people! Overall my trip so far is great! I would definitely come back.
PS. I think I will dream about the Art.
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Briona Campbell 4/6/07
“My First International Trip”
This trip has been a great experience. I love it and it was an addition to my emotional rollercoaster. I thought it would be ok without my family and make people here like my family but things start to fall too quick and my dreams don’t come true.
I say it’s a great experience because (even though Ms. Katz was annoying) it helped me understand the rules of traveling. She was wonderful with all of us from day one when I heard some really unheard of things. But at the end she helped us to realize that everything she did and said was all for a reason.
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Lamasia Cook 4/6/07
Today we woke up about 6:30 in the morning, which was 12:30 in the U.S. We woke up early because we had to get to the Cathedral. We got dressed and went to breakfast. Vickee and I were very tired because we stayed up all night laughing and joking. When we were done we put our suitcases on the bus, and we got on the bus. Unfortunately, we fell asleep on the bus because the ride was 5 hours. When we arrived many other students and I were tired, but we made the best of it. We walked to the restaurant for lunch. The food was good especially the ice cream! (ummmm…) After lunch we went to the cathedral and saw a lot of interesting things, like the piano that had a lot of sound. That was nice!!! After that, we had to check-in to the hotel. After arriving at the hotel we had two hours to get ready and relax for dinner. The dinner was great! We got ready for the Flamenco dancing. The dancers were nice. They did things I’ve never seen before which was good because it made me learn more about the Spanish culture. It was very nice today and I learned a lot.
P.S. Goodnight!!
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Vanessa Espinal 4/6/07
“Art and Craziness”
“Cquiara!!!” That was what Sevinc and I yelled this morning as we were waiting for Cquiara to get out of the bathroom. I woke up this morning with a headache and a sore throat. I waited for an hour and a half just waiting for Cuiara to exit the bathroom. As soon as she got out, I went in and took a shower. Once out, I dressed and ate breakfast. At 9:26 we all went to the lobby and began boarding the bus. Once everyone was on, we took off and our tour guide, Rocio, showed us around some famous places like the Royal Palace in Madrid. After showing us more places, we arrived at the National Museum, the Prado. We saw interesting paintings from artists like Goya, Tiziano, and many others. The day unfolded like this: we ate lunch, visited the Reina Sofia, went to a restaurant for dinner, saw live entertainment and saw a parade. After all of this we went underground and took the train back to our hotel. Then we had a short meeting in the lobby explaining tomorrow’s plans and headed to our rooms. We packed everything since we are leaving the hotel tomorrow morning. When we were done we were EXTREMELY BORED so I began a pillow fight. Cquiara wanted to know what time it was, since we didn’t have a clock. Cquiara made her way to the window and yelled in Spanish, “What time is it?” Awkwardly someone answered and we laughed and began a skittles fight! Now I will go to sleep and await our long day tomorrow!
Adios.
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Tyshara Hallman 4/7/07
“Poem”
This for me has been a chaotic moment.
People say friends are like building blocks
to help build you move a step high
but if one is lose you may slip and fall.
Get up brush yourself off and keep moving
I never know how true that is until I’ve seen it myself.
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Brandon Everson 4/8/07
“Exciting Day”
Today was another exciting day. After waking up early again, we all rode to the ferry station. There we took a Euro ferry to Morocco. It was a busy day as we shuffled through the crowded streets in pairs. We traveled quickly to make sure we were safe. Also, we learned some Arabic (the official language of Morocco) from our tour guide. We went to shop for souvenirs and after that we saw the prized hand-woven carpets of Morocco. Lunch that day consisted of soda, mint tea, bread, and the appetizer, which was a vegetable soup. Then we had our main dish, cus cus, which was great. After the presentation for the carpets, we went to a spice shop of medicinal herbs where the store- owner showed us his different items and explained their effects. Then we boarded the bus going to the ferry and rode the ferry back to Spain.
Two completely different continents in one day; talk about exciting. After that, a few of us went to the beach. The water was cold, but that did not stop anyone from getting wet.
Most of us went in with all our clothes on, and we came back sandy, salty, and soaking wet. After the incident, we all took long showers, I did anyway, and we went to bed.
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Gabriel Vega 4/10/07
“Birthday Boy”
At this point of the trip I’m used to not sleeping. So far I've had the time of my life. All the architecture and the unique culture are literally imbedded in my head forever. The day before we got to our new hotel on our usual, long bus ride we got to Granada and got passed around from hotel to hotel. Finally we got the right directions and got to settle down and this hotel is the best out of them all. It says it’s a three star hotel but it feels like a five star. Huge rooms accompanied with a humongous balcony to get a good view of Spain. We shared the room with two other students from West Virginia which was a very different experience in meeting new people. It turned out to be a calm situation. The best part of the day was the flamenco dancing by the gypsies. They did the famous step dance of Spain and truly blew us away. After, we walked at night to see the red palace lit up, and the whole group had a good surprise for me. At 12 o’clock on the dot, they busted out with a crazy happy birthday song. I danced as they sang and those 20 seconds were the best of my life. Gabe had his birthday in Spain!
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Vickeelyn Nelson 4/10/07
Today was pretty much a long day, but everything was worth it, like having to wake up early in the morning, and trying to rush to breakfast LOL. Anyway, to the exciting part on our way back to Madrid we stopped at a beautiful city called Toledo. We stopped at this huge cliff where you could see the whole city (amazing!); taking pictures nonstop. After that our tour guide got on our bus with us to show us the amazing city. First he took us to the third largest church in the world. The art and unique architecture was outstanding. The Cathedral is like over 500 years old and it’s still beautiful. I learned about a famous artist named El Greco. His work is in that church. All of his paintings told a story and it was very interesting to me. I liked all of them. After the cathedral, he took us around the ancient city and explained why the city was important in history. The tour guide spoke well and was very humorous LOL. Finally after the tour, we got back to Madrid and looked around for a short period of time. Then we ate dinner. I had a really long, interesting and exciting day and I thank God for letting me able to experience this trip. I thank Ms. Katz too because if it wasn’t for her hard work, none of this would be possible. Thank You.
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Gabriel Vega 4/11/07
“Second Birthday”
Since the six-hour time difference my birthday has lasted two days. This whole trip has opened my eyes and showed me many new experiences I will never forget. I will always remember my sixteenth birthday. I can see it now as I'm telling my next generation on their 16th birthday celebration in Spain. The group planned a little party in a restaurant to my surprise. After dinner they just burst out with a happy b-day song and gave me a little cake. I swear I was so cheesy my cheeks were hurting. No trip can top a trip where Gabe had his 16th birthday.
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Vanessa 4/11/07
“Last Real Day”
Oh I can’t believe it’s the last real day! Time has flown so fast that it’s really weird and confusing. Today we woke, changed, ate, and boarded the bus. We made our way to Northern Madrid and saw many small villages on the way. Our tour began with the Escorial, where we saw tombs of kings and queens. We also saw the place where Monks were together. After that we made our way to the Valley of the Fallen. We visited Franco’s grave. We left, made our way to lunch, and back to the hotel. Later we ate dinner and Churros Y Chocolate! It was good! Finally the moment we all waited for…the club! Aw man was it fun as we danced and laughed and danced some more! Time went really fast so we took the subway back to the hotel. I’ve already packed so all I need is a goodnight sleep. I may dream of Spain and wonder how I’ve seen it in a different perspective! Thanks to our guide, Rocio, and by the way Rocio, I love Sevilla!
…….Adios
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Sevinc Gorucu 4/12/07
“Back to America”
All I can say is –Finally. I’ve missed my sister and America. Spain was great but I’m happy to be coming home. During the trip, we walked for miles, had a bedtime, had to wake up early, and went from hotel to hotel and city to city. It was exhausting. Tonight, I’m going to go to bed late and wake up when I wake up. I miss that. We did have a lot of fun in Spain though. We saw palaces, towers, and even went to the club (in honor of Gabriel’s birthday). Spain was great. The tour guide was great, but I am happy to say that I am back in America.
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Mr. Ritchie
“A Final Reflection”
Well I guess I have experienced it all now. Ten days in Spain and one afternoon in Morocco keeping my five senses on alert the whole time.
First, what I got to see:
Watching Gabriel fall in Madrid
Brandon drinking TWO cups of pure chocolate
Wayne and Adrian putting their hands on a fake woman’s back side
Nicole dressed like a Moroccan woman
Various people running (fully clothed) in and out of the ocean at night
Tyshara teaching Ms. Katz to dance in front of a crowd
The Easter procession in Madrid in the middle of an extremely crowded area
Second, what I got to hear:
Wayne yell “bullet!” a thousand times (Ms. Katz’ favorite)
Vickee screaming for her life as a camel lifted her off the ground for a walk
Loud music and screaming PCSST students at the club
Students knocking on my door and calling my phone while I was trying to relax at night
Various dialects of the Spanish language
A couple of happy birthday songs for Gabriel and some noisemakers getting blown too
Some pretty flamenco dancers stomping their heels and clapping during their dancing
Briona yelling at me for pointing out every Lion I saw
Students bartering with Moroccan salesman for bongos
DeLano making a beat for Lamasia to sing on the bus rides
Vanessa speaking crazy fast Spanish to the locals to ensure we knew what we were doing and where we were going
Third, what I got to feel:
The loss of a balancing competition to Tyshara and Christopher
The loss to Adrian in air hockey
The numbness of my rear end and kink in my neck from the long plane ride and bus rides around Spain
A real Moroccan made carpet.
The ice-cold ocean of Spain’s coast
The awkward ride of a camel in Morocco
Fourth, what I got to taste:
A variety of foods I would never have selected under my own free will but ended up enjoying
A variety of red wines which I never drink while in the United States
Finally, what I got to smell:
An aroma to calm the nerves and relieve stress in Morocco
The cold ocean air of sitting on a beautiful beach in southern Spain
The blend of various foods in which I would never think to put into a meal
The red wine that Ms. Katz taught me the classy way of drinking
Looking back at all of these things, I can honestly say I will never forget this experience. I feel lucky to have spent my time in Spain with such great company and I made some new friends too. I hope the students understand how lucky they are to have these experiences available to them because they truly are making memories that will last a lifetime.
PCSST
Spain
April 3rd – 12th 2007
Trip Evaluations
Vanessa Espinal
Morocco was my favorite site. It gave us a real perspective of what Morocco really is and how its people welcomed us.
When we all went to the beach and went in for a swim. The water was really cold and made all of us shiver like crazy. It was really fun though. We were all wet and had salt in our eyes.
Ride a real camel. It was fun.
There are a lot of interesting sights in Spain and all of them were really fun to learn about. For example, the museum of Prado; I learned that in that museum, it contains many kinds of art styles.
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Raquel Orozco
My favorite site on the trip was when we went to the different museums in Spain. I love the different art and paintings. It was so interesting and exciting to just look at a painting and the museums. I would definitely go back.
I really can’t choose one moment on the trip but I will try. Every time I think back, I think about the time we made all the teachers dance in the plaza de mayor. Ms. Katz did the walk it out, Rocio did “zoom zoom,” and Mr. Ritchie did the shoulder lean. I will always remember that!
I would have never thought I would be so experienced in art. It is such a great rush knowing the artist of a painting and knowing how they painted it.
I learned a lot from this trip. I experienced different cultures, how to stay in a room with people I’ve never expected to sleep and wake up with. I’ve realized how the cultures and people in other cultures eat and act. I learned how to take care of myself without my parents. I learned and experienced a lot and I would definitely do it again.
Brandon Everson
I liked when we visited the Valley of the Fallen. We saw the tombs of all the old kings and queens of Spain. That was the most interesting part of the trip.
When we went to the beach to swim. My aunt stayed at the hotel so I had more fun.
It was my first time on a plane. I laughed instead of getting scarred during take off.
The houses and hotels are a lot smaller than in America.
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Lamasia Cook
My favorite site was when we went to the Valley of the Fallen and saw the big cross and Mary (the mother of Jesus) holding her son Jesus Christ. I liked it because it was very big and the architecture made it look realistic.
The most memorable moment was when we went to the beach and it was cold and the boys got in the water. That was funny because it was raining and it was cold and they were freezing.
Something I did that I never thought I would do is go outside in my bathing suit in the cold and put my hand in the water because I was cold even though it was my water.
Something I learned was to be independent and to wake up by myself when an alarm goes off.
DeLano Wilson
The Valley of the Fallen because the history behind it was good and it drew me in. That’s the tour that I paid the most attention too.
Walking around and seeing the amazing sites that Spaniards see everyday.
I never thought I would take the subway.
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Vickeelynn Nelson
My favorite site on the trip was when we went to Morocco in Africa. It was a different type of experience to me. Their ways of life are totally different from the way we live in America. The clothes they wear, the food they eat, and the ways they speak were all very different.
My most memorable moment on the trip was when we went to the church Christopher Columbus was buried at. The church was beautiful. The paintings, the sculptures and art were breathtaking. The architecture was amazing. Columbus wasn’t the only person buried there because plenty of other important people in history were buried there also.
Something I did that I never thought I would do before was ride a camel in Morocco. It was terrifying. The camels had a disgusting smell and they had these big slimy disgusting tongues. When I got on it, I thought it was just going to take off and go real fast but it went slow.
Something I learned from this trip was that you cann’t be ignorant and judge a place without being there, seeing what it’s like, and how they live their lives. I also learned that you should always appreciate what you have because you never know how people on the other side of the world live.
Tyshara Hallman
My favorite site was Royal Palace of the Habsburg family. The family had a room built inside the place together.
Most memorable moment was seeing the Easter procession. I was shocked to see all those people in the streets.
I did not think I would teach my teachers how to dance.
People were buried places like the palaces, churches, and even in memorial monuments.
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Shamara McKenzie
My favorite site during the Spain trip was when we went to both of the Flamenco Dancing shows. They both were very interesting and if I had a chance to go up there and dance, I think I would have done a good job because I tried it in the hotel room and I did it.
My most memorable moment was the last day when we went to the club. The club was the craziest. I just couldn’t wait until we got to the hotel so everybody could go to sleep.
Control Wayne, Vickie, Lamasia, Nicole, while they were going crazy the last night at the club.
I learned a lot. I can’t say off the top of my head because I have to look at pictures to explain everything but I learned a lot.
Nicole Lightner
My favorite site was the Flamenco Dancing. I liked that because I’m always interested in the way different countries and cultures dance and that was a perfect example.
My most memorable moment was when we went to Morocco. That was most memorable for me because after going there I would never be as ungrateful for things as I used to be.
I thought I would never go outside the country without one of my parents.
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Briona Campbell
My favorite site was when we were in the Valley of the Fallen and we saw the beginning of the memorial site of a lot of people that have to do with the Spanish Civil war, government and Franco.
Going to the Moorish temples because of all the dark architecture and how they show their beliefs in God.
Going on this trip was a big jump away from home. I would have never thought my parents would agree to let me go, but I prepared myself for this trip and this trip prepared me for life.
It was hard for me to adjust to the time and the food. The bread I can deal with because I love bread but not the potatoes every meal and the rice almost everyday. That was hard. It taught me how to keep my things in order but right when I got home, like always, everything was all over.
Kenia Prado
When I went to Morocco because I saw its culture. In Spain I liked the history that has happened there.
When I fell because I was playing with Gabriel!
I never thought that I would ever talk to all the people and make friends.
I learned that all the places have different cultures and different styles of living. Also there is no such thing as impossible.
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Cquiara McNeal
My most memorable moment was when we were asked what country bordered Spain to the West. I was the first person to get the answer right-- Portugal.
My favorite site on the trip was the city of Toledo. I loved watching the gold leafing being done and I especially enjoyed learning the process of how the swords were made. Some of the swords made were the most gorgeous ones I had ever seen.
I thought I would never try new types of food, but on this trip I did. On the second night of the trip, I tried calamari at the tapas restaurant we ate at. Even though I did not like it, at least I gave it a try.
On the trip I learned about how people used to construct the massive churches in Spain. It is hard to believe they did not have ladders to do the construction, only scaffolding. That was amazing to me.
Wayne Buchanan
I really liked the cathedrals with all the high ceilings and gold plated designs.
When the British lady came in on me after I took a shower.
I went ten days without football and cream cheese.
Franco ruled part of Africa and he trained his army to take over Spain and that Morocco is an Arab Country.
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Gabriel Vega
My favorite site was the Valley of the Fallen. The reason why is because as soon as we reached the site it took my breath away. I felt so much energy from just looking at the giant cross. Since I am also religious this site was very attractive to me.
My most memorable moment was after the gipsy dance when everyone sang happy birthday. Who can say that they had their 16th birthday in Spain! I felt like I was on top of the world. It was such an experience to have a birthday in another country by a palace.
I rode a camel. I never thought I would be in Africa riding a camel.
Something I learned is that Spain is a very laid back country. They are always busy and they are always having fun. They also have four different languages. The fact that they are all versions of Spanish but different dialects makes me interested. I truly learned where my great grandparents came from.
Adrian Sanchez
My favorite site was the first Cathedral we saw. I liked it because it explained about God by looking at the portraits. I also liked it because the art was simply beautiful.
My most memorable moment would probably be when I went to one of the castles. We saw a lot of medieval things.
The thing I thought I would never do was dance. I also didn’t think I’d go in the water in freezing temperature.
I learned that Spain’s architecture was inspired by the Muslims.
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Christopher David
The Cathedral La Giralda in Seville was the best site for me for a couple of reasons. First I loved the view from the top of the Cathedral because it was great and you could see everything from the bullfighting stadium to the town. I liked the inside of it too because it was thrilling to see the art that was created years ago.
My most memorable moment for me was at Plaza De Espania when we were dancing around and beat boxing. I was laughing at everyone who was dancing. It was hilarious watching Ms. Katz and the teachers dancing.
I never thought I would go to the top of the Cathedral La Giralda, Seville Castle. I went up 32 flights of stairs to get to the top. It was the highest I’ve ever been, except for on a plane. The bells were huge. You could see everything and it was great.
On this trip I learned many things about Spain I didn’t know. Like Madrid is Spain’s capital. Or that Christopher Columbus was buried in Spain. Another thing was Spain has the third largest Cathedral in the world.
Sevinc Gorucu
The Alhambra was my favorite site. There were sentences perfectly curved into each pillar and each wall. It was beautiful.
Most memorable moment was when a whole bunch of us went into the ocean in the middle of the night. It was very warm that night. Another moment that’s memorable is when Tyshara upgraded the teacher's dancing, including Rocio. That was funny.
Something I never did before was ride a camel. That was cool.
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Ms. Clive
My favorite site was The Valley of the Fallen. To me this site was absolutely breathtaking. At first, when you drive up the mountain, all you see is a huge stone cross. The actual Basilica is inside the mountain and once inside you feel very small in comparison to your surroundings. It was a memorable site for me. It’s amazing to think of how a church could be built inside a mountain.
The most memorable part on the trip for me was to experience Europe through the eyes of the students.
Something I did that I never thought I would do was to ride a camel in Morocco.
Something I learned on the trip was about the festivals and processions that take place during the holy days before Easter. I knew bits and pieces of why they take place, but I learned more about the history behind them. I also was able to witness one in Madrid.
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Mr. Ritchie
My favorite site was the Valley of the Fallen. I have always had an interest in historical sites primarily constructed for religious intent. Therefore, seeing this enormous cross from a couple miles away was quite impressive. As we got closer to the monument itself, I was very excited to see the large stone carvings. Stone carvings always impress me more than iron and steel because it has more of a natural look to it.
My most memorable moment has to be when we decided to go in the ocean the night after visiting Morocco. We all went to the beach not planning to go in the water, however when we arrived, the students decided to go in the water anyway
(with their regular clothes on) and after a few minutes of watching the fun I had to join as well. The water was freezing cold but we toughed it out and made the most of it. I have always loved that kind of spontaneity. That is what makes life so unpredictable and fun.
I never thought I would have found someone’s artwork to be so amazing to me. I have gone to a lot of museums and seen a lot of art throughout my life but nothing ever really stuck out in my mind as “amazing.” That all changed when I was pointed in the direction of El Greco’s work. I found his paintings to be extremely well done and the details to be fascinating. The "Burial of the Count of Orgaz" was his painting that caught my attention most because of its size and symbolism. It was actually provoking me to think about getting another tattoo, and I thought I was done getting tattoos!
Since I went into the trip with probably the least understanding about Spain of anyone, everything was new knowledge to me. It is difficult to pinpoint specifics when so much information is given along with sites seen during the ten days.
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Ms. Katz
Renia Sofia- I thoroughly enjoyed the simplicity of this museum and if fabulous display of early modern Spanish art. From Picasso to Dali, Gris, Braque and Miro, it was a pleasure to hear the commentaries of some of my sophomores who had done projects on these artists just a few months ago. Picasso's "Guernica" was lifted out of our textbooks, pulled off the pages of the Internet, and there it was--- the real deal, almost floor to ceiling. Having my students with me, who understand the history behind the painting (Franco's permitting Hitler to test bombs on innocent civilians in the Basque region at the end of the Spanish civil war, and the need to move the painting to New York or Hitler surely would have destroyed it) and the genre (cubism) enabled us to engage in a quality dialog. As I frequently tell my students, we learn many things simply to be able to participate in the conversation of life. On this particular afternoon, I was witness to my student's ability to participate.
It's not one. It was the repeated reminders of how far my students have come this year. Briona's great questions and observations at the Egyptian temple with it's Greek influences; Raquel's insightful analysis of all the art, and especially when she so correctly categorized the Van Gogh poster in the club as post-impressionism (I would have been quite satisfied with just "impressionism"), and just observing so many students hanging on the words of local guides.
Uh-oh. It's a woulda-coulda-shoulda. I didn't flamenco in the Granada cave.
The current king Juan Carlos, who has so successfully transitioned Spain from the harsh dictatorship of Franco, was actually Franco's handpicked successor. Juan Carlos' lineage dates back to the Bourbons of France (e.g., Louis the XIV among them). I also learned that Moors generally refers to those from Morocco while "Moorish," as in the architecture, is a broader reference to Muslims (spanning northern African and the Middle East). When the Muslim's, along with the Jews, were expelled during the time of the Spanish inquisition (1492) and beyond, the grandiose Moorish mezquitas (mosques) were converted into cathedrals with its original architecture generally preserved because of their exquisite beauty.
And that I'm a sucker who can't say "No." So the next trip is in planning. Germany, here we come. Thank you students for making another trip a no- brainer.