During June, all Spanish classes had the opportunity to take a 10-day trip to Spain. While traveling, students experienced the interesting and vastly different cultures that exist within Barcelona, Madrid and Andalusia.

The tour began in Barcelona, where the group stayed for two days. Students were able to explore Las Ramblas, which is well known for its shops and street performers. A major part of this area is “La Boqueria,” which contains countless souvenir stores and sweets stands. It also has a variety of different foods, the most famous being croquettes and tapas, according to spain.info.

Another famous location visited was Basílica de la Sagrada Família. This building is an unfinished Roman Catholic Church that began construction in 1882 and is expected to be completed in 2026. The church will include 18 spindle-shaped towers, each with a different biblical figure at top, according to britannica.com.

“My favorite part of the trip was seeing all of the different cities and places that were in those cities,” junior Caleb Gurney said. “More specifically, my favorite place was the Basílica de la Sagrada Família. I really liked looking at the different sides of the church and seeing a different concept of architecture.”

From Barcelona, students traveled by bus to Spain’s capital, Madrid, for two days. While there, a guided tour took place through the Royal Palace of Madrid. This covered many ancient parts of the palace such as the throne room, which is still used today by the king during state occasions. The current king is Felipe VI, and the queen is Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano. They have two children named Leonor de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Ortiz and Sofía de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Ortiz, according to people.com.

The students visited further into the palace to the chapel named Capilla Real de Madrid. This area is still used on special occasions today for ceremonies like the marriage of a member of the Spanish royal family. Students later took a bus through the entire city that showed them the various fountains and monuments each resembling a different Roman deity, according to patrimonionacional.es.

There was also an optional excursion to Toledo, the old capital of Spain. The city is famous for its historical buildings and well preserved cultures. The tour visited an old sword factory where students got to see how swords were made in medieval times, according to whc.unesco.org.

“I feel like I did learn a lot about Spain and their culture by seeing all the different architecture and eating all the different foods,” junior Grace Walker said. “It helped expose me more to other parts of the world outside of the U.S.”

The last place the tour visited was Andalusia. Unlike Madrid and Barcelona, Andalusia encompasses the entire southern region of Spain and includes many cities. The trip stayed in Granada, Córdoba and Seville for one day each and Costa del Sol for two days.

“I just really loved seeing my former students witness Spanish culture for the first time,” Spanish teacher Nicole Sloan said. “It was quite special for me to get to experience Spain with students I had in Spanish 1 and watch them experience in real life all of the things we talked about in class.”

In Córdoba, students visited the Mezquita, a Mosque-Cathedral. This religious place features a blend of both Christian and Islamic elements but is known mostly for its impressive architecture and tall ceilings and columns.

While in Seville, the tour visited La Plaza de Espana famous for the 52 benches and mosaic tiles. These groups of benches and tiles each have a mural that depicts one of the 52 Spanish provinces.

Finally, in Granada, students visited the Alhambra, a palace and fortress that once belonged to Moorish monarchs. It is famous for its Islamic art and architecture.

From Granada, students traveled to Costa del Sol, or Coast of the Sun. Here students had the opportunity to visit the beach as well as enjoy the resort where they stayed.

While in Costa Del Sol the tour also had the chance to take an optional excursion to Morocco.

A boat took them across the Strait of Gibraltar and landed in the continent of Africa. From there, they got on a bus and crossed the Spanish African border. Here, students got their passports stamped both on the way in and on the way out.

In Morocco, the tour visited the Medina, a walled section of the city that is most known for its rich culture and maze-like streets. Students also visited a pharmacy known for its natural medicines as well as a rug shop.

The trip finale was traveling back to Madrid for one more day before boarding the plane that returned them to the United States.

Spanish teacher and tour sponsor Adriana Meder played a major role in planning most of the trip. She was very grateful to receive the opportunity to take people to Spain and teach them about the language.

“Leading this trip reminded me that true leadership is about creating space to grow, make connections and to discover new things,” Meder said. “That moment full of laughter, a little nervousness and real cultural exchange reminded me why I love teaching my beautiful language and traveling with students.”