Posted on: February 14th 2025

Trip to Seville

¡Hola Sevilla!

From 9 to 14 February, Year 9 Spanish students had the opportunity to visit the beautiful city of Seville in Andalusia,Spain.

I think that everyone who went on the trip will agree that arriving at school at 3.00am was a bit of a shock to the system!  However, we left for Gatwick airport promptly and in good spirits.

We took a coach from the airport to the hostel, and got a small glimpse of how stunning the city was! After depositing our luggage at the hostel, we made our way to the river for a sightseeing cruise, from which we could see Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza- which is considered to be one of Spain's most important bullfighting venues!

The next day, we visited the cathedral and it’s impressive main tower, la Giralda. Personally, I found it architecturally stunning, and the view from the climb up the tower as well as the view at the top were particularly wonderful!

For me, a combination of these,the sun,scents from the orange trees and small fountains found regularly throughout the cathedral’s courtyard made this spot particularly captivating and relaxing.

On Tuesday, we visited the Royal Alcázar, where we worked on pieces of art for a competition. The Alcάzar’s hall of ambassadors was where Christopher Colombus was granted royal support from Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand ㅍ for his voyage to Asia. Fun Fact: the Alcazar also served as a filming location for the Game of Thrones series!

On the next day, we embarked on a guided walking tour of the city,on which we learnt about it’s rich and diverse history, from roman amphitheatres, columns and cemeteries to Renaissance influenced buildings, to the Islamic conquest in the 1200s and how it still influences a lot of the buildings there. I found it really interesting seeing how these different styles built up main parts of the city, as well as the distinct historical ‘layers’ of the architecture. There were pillars and columns from a range of interesting time periods still standing in most buildings!

On Thursday 13, we visited a large market selling an impressive range of fish, cheese, fruit and pastry. There were even restaurants within the market! After visiting the market, we all ate churros or ice cream by the river, before journeying to a paella making masterclass! In this class, we also made  a potato salad and learnt that ‘paella’ is the name of the pan the famous-rice-dish is cooked in, rather than the meal itself!

Throughout the course of the trip, we went on numerous nightwalks, when palm trees were often illuminated in soft coloured lighting and the warm breeze from the river carried into the bustling city. It was on one of these nightwalks that we visited the magnificent Plaza de España!

On Friday 14, we ventured to the Seville international airport and flew back home after an incredible escape to Seville (however,one thing we weren’t able to escape was the catch up work!)! This trip challenged and improved our practical Spanish abilities and was truly an extraordinary opportunity and unforgettable experience! Many thanks to the staff who were able to make this trip happen.

Report written by Sophie 9VM

 

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