Year 6 Trip to Spain

Year 6 Trip to Spain

On Monday 24 April, Year 6 embarked on an exciting trip to Cantabria, Spain.

Miss Velez designed a tour to expand the girls’ knowledge of northern Spain and introduce them to a variety of different cultural experiences, which included dancing, tasting local foods and exploring plenty of Spanish traditions.

The girls were delighted to stay in the village of Isla, in a local family-run hotel, right on the beach and made the most of its sunny position by spending their evenings building sandcastles, digging holes and playing games with their friends. In the evenings at the hotel, we enjoyed lots of Spanish food, such as tapas and delicious desserts!

Every day was a new adventure; on Tuesday, we toured a beautiful village called Santillana del Mar – the village of the three lies. Perhaps, you can guess why… That is right because it is not Santa (holly), or Llana (geographically plain) nor it is by the sea (Del Mar)! We thoroughly enjoyed its cobbled streets and historical buildings. The girls were treated to a feast of authentically made churros and hot chocolate and were full to the brim when we made our way to the Almatira Caves Museum. It was fascinating learning about the ancient caves and the girls loved hearing about their history and how early humans lived there.

On Wednesday, the girls and teachers got their hiking kit on to board a cable car and reach the dizzying heights of the Picos de Europa mountain range. They took in spectacular mountain views in the cable car, enjoyed lunch on top of the rocky mountain peaks and even delighted passers-by with a choral piece, led by Ms Rattenbury. The hills really were alive with the sound of Ken Prep music! On the way back from the mountains, we stopped off in a little village called Potes to go shopping and buy some treats and gifts.

Thursday was time to get our dancing shoes on as the girls shimmied their way into Santander for a dance class and learnt how to merengue and flamenco at Centro De Danza Autorizado Belin Cabrillo. Exhausted but very happy, the girls retreated to a beautiful beachfront park, Peninsula of Magdalena, to have lunch and play, as well as enjoy an ice cream treat.

A highlight was a trip on the tourist train, we stopped off to take in the beautiful coastal views of the Magdalena Peninsula and see the royal palace – once the summer residence of King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenia. Dinner was at a lovely restaurant before a humbling and touching trip to a Spanish music school, where we were all greeted like royalty! The girls listened to the music school perform their instruments and sing traditional songs about the seasons in Spain and then the girls got the chance to sing back to the class – everyone was very overwhelmed by the lovely welcome and joy! The girls mixed with the school and took part in learning a new song both in Spanish and in English, led by Ms Rattenbury and the Spanish music teacher. The girls are now working on writing a thank you letter in Spanish for them.

On Friday, we were all sad saying goodbye to Spain, but the girls were very pleased and happy to be able to share their special memories with their families when they arrived home in the late afternoon. It was certainly a trip to remember for the leavers of 2023 and a very special week for all involved.

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