It has been so long since I wrote as I have been sooo incredibly busy doing things rather than writing about doing things! Since my last post I have been on several trips and fortunately I have several more lined up.
With my Language Centre group I visited the stunning cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. This is the destination of thousands of pilgrims who walk the Camino de Santiago, a walk of at least 100km (or 200km on bike). The cathedral is dedicated to Santiago Matamoros (Saint James the Moorslayer) and the bones of Saint James are said to reside here. We visited the crypt underneath the altar and saw the coffin which was fascinating. During this trip we also visited A Coruna, a beautiful sea side area where we were lucky to get to visit an ancient Celtic settlement and play on the beach!
During the mid session break I was lucky enough to travel with friends to Valencia for the Las Fallas festival. This week-long fireworks festival has a million parades, fireworks and crackers set off round the clock, competitions for who can create the loudest explosions and of course a competition of the ‘fallas’ – enormous, elaborate structures that depict celebrities, politicians and current events. They are so beautiful and sometimes a few stories high. At the end of the week the best ‘falla’ is kept for a special museum and the rest are set alight! Each neighbourhood usually has it’s own ‘falla’ and the residents spent up to 100,000 euros on each. It’s so amazing that so might effort and money goes into something that is then set on fire!!
Valencia itself is also spectacular. The ‘Ciudad de Artes y Ciencias’ (City of Arts and Sciences) is truly amazing – it’s a park of several architecturally fascinating buildings that house museums, science centres, an IMAX theatre and the largest aquarium in Europe. I was fortunate enough to visit the aquarium which was absolutely fascinating! The beluga whales were particularly fantastic and we saw a number of quite scary creatures like the GIANT SPIDER CRABS that we up to 70cm or so tall! After Valencia I spent a few days in Madrid and was lucky enough to not only visit the beautiful Prado for a second and third time (!) but also the Reina Sofia gallery which houses the spectacular ‘Guernica’ by Picasso. It was a real treat and I really enjoyed my time!
I have started my second session of school and now have Grammar, Oral Communication, Advanced Spanish Literature, Spanish Culture and History. It is a busy timetable but I am finding the classes really interesting and I have a few new teachers which is fun.
We just had another holiday break for Easter so I just got back yesterday from seven days in beautiful Barcelona. The city was amazing, probably my favourite in all of Spain. I was lucky enough to see several Gaudi buildings including the Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. The Sagrada Familia was a real highlight, I have never seen a more amazing building in my life. It was absolutely breathtaking and quite difficult to describe because it’s impossible to do it justice. The inside is unlike anything I have ever seen. The photos I took can’t possibly do it justice, it was just that incredible! We visited the house that Gaudi lived in for a time that is situated in Park Guell. It was really beautiful and contains furniture that he himself designed.
I will post some photos here and will write more soon! (P.S. Next Friday I am off to LONDON!!)
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| First view of the Sagrada Familia (back entrance) |
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| Amazing staircase |
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| Inside the Sagrada Familia - beautiful stained glass everywhere |
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| Spectacular ceiling |
Much love, Clare xx
Sounds like you are taken advantage of every opportunity. Glad you are having some fun amidst all your study. Anzac day this week so May is nearly over and it won’t be long until your home. How was London? Hope you had a great time and it wasn’t too cold. No doubt you will get a better feel for the place on your next visit. Say hello to all the family.
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