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Year 8 Trip to Bilbao - October 2011

An early start of the day saw the Year 8 Spanish students departing to London Stanstead Airport on Thursday. The enthusiastic students were not affected by the early hours in the morning as they sang and talked all the way to Spain. Once in Bilbao, the group settled down in the house and charged their batteries with some Spanish traditional food followed by a nice walk around the town of Gorliz where they enjoyed some free time. The afternoon was spent in the grounds where the boys and girls did wall climbing and played on the zip wire. A nice dinner and free time on the beach was just the perfect end to the first day of the trip, where students played football, ran, talked to each other, and even read!

Friday was a most enjoyable day spent in the sea. After a nice Spanish breakfast, the group set off to the beach and spent the morning catching the waves, impressing the local people (and dogs!). Miss Calvet and Miss Conde decided to stay dry but did manage to capture the best moments of this experience, especially Mr Bueno's hidden surfing skills! The afternoon was spent kayaking along the coast and our students showed great ability battling through the strong wind, leaving the students exhausted and the staff rather relieved!

On Saturday morning the group set off to demonstrate their very impressive horse riding skills to the locals. After combing and cleaning the horses, the students (and Miss Conde) had a riding lesson which they very much enjoyed. Despite all this activity, some of the boys still managed to find time to chat to some chicas, their grasp of Spanish miraculously improving in the process! In the afternoon the group visited the famous Puente Colgante de Portugalete and enjoyed some shopping time, mostly dedicated to buying new outfits for the night ahead. In the evening the group went out to a typical tapas restaurant in the area where students tried traditional dishes such as chorizo and croquetas and entertained themselves and the teachers with some impromptu science!

Finally, the group visited the city of Bilbao and had the opportunity to see the ins and outs of the place on foot and by boat including sights such as the old market, the Guggenheim museum and the famous Poppy Dog. The free time spent in the city centre was enjoyed admiring the architecture of the town. Overall, it was a great experience for students and teachers who were sad when it ended, of course this had nothing to do with the fact that the following day was a Monday...

To view photo gallery click here.