The Spanish language trip began with  a short bus tour around  Madrid, followed by a three course meal at ‘La Gloría” restaurant. We tried Spanish tortilla (omelet with potato), followed by chicken and fries, and then ice cream for dessert; a great way to immerse ourselves in the culture of Spain.

All of the days began with a Spanish class during which we prepared for what we would be doing that day, whether it be asking for directions, describing pieces of art, coming up with questions to ask people, etc. The main purpose of the trip was for us to improve our Spanish, so we worked hard at this throughout the duration of the trip.

We visited the Thyssen Museum, where we were able to view some beautiful art including pieces by Goya and Picasso. We had to answer questions that revolved around the art on each of the 3 floors as well as choose a piece of art to write a brief description about using what we had learned in the class earlier on in the day.

A short visit to the San Miguel Market was followed by a traditional Spanish clay-pot lunch at “La Bola” restaurant. We also toured the Royal Palace, and the IE University, where we learnt about the most prominent aspects of Spanish culture. To finish off the day, we ordered a wide variety of  delicious Spanish tapas for dinner.

On Saturday, we took a train to San Lorenzo de El Escorial, where we visited the gardens and the monastery. We were later given a list of tasks to complete in Spanish, including asking someone to say a tongue twister for us and asking a person if we could take a picture with them. Although it was a challenge for some, it certainly allowed us to challenge ourselves with speaking the language. We later finished off the day with paella, a common Spanish dish.

At Retiro park on Sunday, we received a map and five different locations  to visit and take pictures of in groups. We also had to come up with questions that we would ask people in Spanish, which definitely put our Spanish skills to the test.

We took a tapas workshop where we were shown how to make a couple of simple dishes. For example, we made baguette slices topped with cream cheese, avocado and salmon; or topped with cream cheese, pear slices, walnuts and honey. Following the workshop, we were treated to churros and hot chocolate, a traditional Spanish dessert, at the ‘Chocolatería.’

For many, the highlight of the trip was the soccer game between Real Madrid and Sevilla.  The game was especially impressive seeing as we got the chance to see Ronaldo score twice. We sat amongst the local fans and got to experience the atmosphere and Spanish culture at its best.

On our final day in Madrid we had to present about a souvenir that we bought with the €10 euros that we had received at the start of the trip, before heading back to Sweden. 

All in all, the trip was both a great learning experience as well as a way for students from different grades to interact and get to know each other better and improve their Spanish. I would definitely recommend it for those taking Spanish next year!