Barcelona Trip 2018

Viva Barcelona!

Thirty students, six coach rides, five excursions, four days, three teachers, two flights and one sports hostel made Barcelona 2018 a wonderful trip! The students were the best group I have taken out to the city, their behaviour was immaculate and commented on by everyone that we had the pleasure of meeting, as teachers we are very proud of them.

Each trip had its highlights, students got to know each other better, friendships were made and as every successful trip can claim, everyone became closer and enjoyed each other’s company. I managed to estimate distances and the time it would take to arrive to our destination by foot accurately (do not believe what others say); therefore, we always arrived on time if also tired… After a well-managed flight and transfer to our Sports Hostel, the students got used to their surroundings and after a delicious dinner we enjoyed a Spanish evening stroll through the city where we were entertained by the wonderful fountains and light shows that Barcelona has to offer.

On the following day, we had an open breakfast, the choices catered for every taste and again the students demonstrated their great qualities, asking for food in Spanish and always polite and courteous in the target language. Bellies full we set off to the Picasso Museum, travelling by foot through the Gothic quarter of the city, and marvelled at its architecture. Once inside the museum, conversations between students and sometimes involving the teachers on the artwork were insightful and very interesting. The students took their time to translate the Spanish information for each piece before reading the English and debated on certain interesting pieces on show. Our hosts informed me that we had impressed them by how well behaved and engaged our students were during the tour. After, we headed down to the beach and enjoyed the weather, next to the beach is the Marina with a big complex of shops that floats on the water, an opportunity that our students took to spend their parents hard earned money, they had their lunches there also and made sure to explore many if not all of shops. We then headed off past the Christopher Columbus monument to catch our city open tour bus. The tour lasted two hours and we were treated to Gaudi’s beautiful architecture within the city, the electronic tour guide had choices of languages and some students decided to listen to it in Catalan or Spanish. The first day of trips ended so we headed back to the hostel and warmed up by having a great dinner.

On day three it decided to rain but luckily a coach had been booked for the whole day. We started by visiting the Camp Nou (Barcelona FC Stadium & Museum). Again, the students were exemplary in their behaviour and engaged with everything the club had to offer. We explored all the history of the club, took pictures with trophies such as the European & La Liga Cups, we managed to get on to the pitch and sit in the dugouts, had the opportunity to see the changing rooms and press boxes, we spent three hours in total within the Stadium and Museum. We moved on the Olympic Stadium (where the 1992 Olympics were held), the plan had been to take part in running events and a bit of football but the weather was not on our side. We had our lunches in the cafeteria of the stadium with a view to the pitch and track; some students took the opportunity to buy more gifts. La Sagrada Familia is the most famous landmark and cathedral in Barcelona and it is a spectacle to behold, this was to be our last excursion of our visit and it was worth the wait. First we went round the museum and familiarised ourselves with the interesting history of the building and its beginning. We made our way upstairs to the main body of the building and the interior is breath taking, we spent an hour walking around and taking in the beautiful and symbolic architecture.

On the final day we made our way back to England and the change in climate was instantly recognised. Personally, I am extremely proud of all the members of our Barcelona 2018 group, this trip will live long in my memory.

A Bargiela

MFL Head of Faculty

Manshead CE Academy

“The Barcelona Trip was amazing! Every day felt more like two. There was never really a dull moment so it meant we were always on our feet. It was amazing seeing such tall buildings, much bigger that we have back here in England. Most of the shops open later in the evening and shut in the early hours of the morning. Spain looks so different lit up at night. My favourite day in Barcelona was the Saturday, it was mostly spent at the beach, the sea was so blue and luckily, we had good weather on that day so it was also nice and sunny. It was overall a great trip and I hope there is another opportunity like this.”

Michael D – Year 8

“My favourite part of our Barcelona trip was the Saturday because we walked around the coastal area and we had time to shop at the Marina Complex. Later on, we did an open bus tour and we go to see all of the beautiful sites of Barcelona. I will never forget the great time we had.”

Ellie C – Year 9