Spanish Language & Culture Trip to Madrid

From the 25th – 31st March 2015, Radley College enjoyed a tailor-made school group trip to Madrid. They kindly provided a great summary of their trip, which we share with you below!

At the start of the Easter break, EEND and JMAS had the pleasure of taking eight boys to Madrid for the language and culture trip. Boys had four hours of lessons each weekday morning in small groups before we embarked on a range of cultural excursions in the afternoons.

Boys had a walking tour of Madrid (concluded with a much-needed pit stop for some chocolate con churros at the famous Chocolatería San Ginés), a trip to the Reina Sofía Museum to have a whistle-stop of contemporary Spanish art, with a particular focus on Picasso’s Guernica, and a trip to El Escorial and El Valle de los Caídos. The latter was an eerie highlight for many, and gave our guide, Ángel, a chance to explain the way Spain has dealt with its dark legacy of the Francoist dictatorship. We joined about only four other visitors to the cavernous fascist monument, which only added to the creepiness of the whole excursion.

Entering the Basilica, Valle de los Caídos

At the weekend, we spent Saturday in Toledo exploring the city and its Moorish, Jewish and Christian heritage, and then Sunday morning was spent at a tapas class in the city centre, learning how to make six different dishes. We left thoroughly stuffed, leading to a much-needed siesta in the sunshine in Retiro Park before a trip to the Bernabéu stadium.

All the boys were excellent company throughout, and were complimented by all our guides and teachers not just for how well they got on, but also for their level of Spanish. The trip was – linguistically, culturally, and gastronomically – a great start to the Easter break.

Chocolate con churros at the famous Chocolatería San Ginés