On the 2nd of April 2018, 51 TY and LC1 accompanied by 5 teachers waved ‘Adiós’ to wet and gloomy Dublin and set off for a five day, fun-filled trip to Madrid.
We kicked off our first day by heading to the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) which was such a beautiful palace full of stately rooms and ornate furnishings. After, we grabbed a quick bite and headed back to our coach to go to the Parque de atracciones de Madrid where we went on many thrilling rides like the Abysm roller coaster and the Tarantula. After, we went to a restaurant near our hotel and tried seafood paella before crashing out in our rooms, exhausted but excited for day two.
We had an early start on Tuesday morning and visited El Valle de los Caídos a basilica and memorial in San Lorenzo de el Escorial and spent some time exploring the church and its surroundings. After, we headed to the quaint town of Segovia about 1 hour north of Madrid. We spent an enjoyable few hours strolling around the town and admiring the Roman aqueduct, cathedral and Alcazar castle. We then returned to Madrid and stopped off in the Hard Rock café to devour some burgers.
Wednesday kicked off with a 2 hour Spanish class in the International house. Next on the agenda was a guided bus tour of Madrid giving us the opportunity to see the whole city as well as a sneak a peek at some of the places we would be visiting over the next few days. We saw the famous statue of Don Quijote in Plaza de España, many square or plazas including Plaza de Cibeles where Real Madrid celebrate their wins, Retiro Park as well as some skyscrapers in the business district. That night we feasted on traditional Spanish tapas including patatas bravas, tortilla española, chorizo and croquetas.
We had more Spanish classes on Thursday morning where we put our speaking skills in to practice. After lunch, we got our coach to the Prado museum where we got to see various artworks, including some by Goya and Velazquez. The highlight of the day was the tour of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, the home of Real Madrid. We visited the stands, sat on the sub benches and even got to see the changing rooms. That evening we went shopping in the Princípe Pio shopping centre where we spent the last of our money on Spanish fashion.
Early on Friday morning, we reluctantly set off to Barajas airport returning once again to the rain in Dublin, exhausted but armed with memories that would last forever.
Fue un viaje estupendo y queremos dar las gracias, de parte de todos los alumnos, a los profesores que nos acompañaron. Nunca olvidaremos este viaje escolar.
Claire Allen, Fiona Curran, Sarah Rafferty and Siobhan Roche (TY)
