Princess Helena College

In October, 20 girls set off on a delightful trip to Andalusía, where they had the opportunity to experience the language, culture and gastronomy of this wonderful area of Spain. The girls, accompanied by Mr Ross, Mrs Martinelli and Miss Sánchez, stayed in the Hotel Jimesol in the beautiful town of Nerja.

Many exciting visits and activities were on the itinerary. On arrival, we were treated to a guided tour of Málaga with visits to the Casa Picasso, Alcazaba and the Gibralfaro. It was here that the girls learnt about Picasso's life and art, and had an introduction to Spain's historical Moorish past.

The next day the group enjoyed a trip to the historical town of Antequerra. Visits were made to La Antequerana (the prestigious mantecado factory) and the girls took home a sample of these delicious delicacies, a kind of shortbread. We later enjoyed a typical ‘cocido' in a local restaurant, before heading off to the picturesque national park of El Torcal. This day was also Mr Ross's birthday, and the girls and staff ensured that he celebrated in style with a wonderful Spanish birthday cake and gifts galore!

We spent another day further exploring the town of Nerja, visiting the impressive caves and spending a well-earned afternoon relaxing on the beach!

The next day saw us in Granada. Before exploring this magnificent city we all enjoyed a ‘churros con chocolate' breakfast, which set us up for the day. We toured the Albaycin and the Alhambra palace, where more of Spain's history was discovered. The girls were also able to try their hand at flamenco dancing in a local dance school- ¡Olé!

On the last day, the girls spent a day in a local Spanish secondary school, where they involved themselves in lessons and made many new Spanish friends!

Mr Ross would like to extend his thanks to Mrs Martinelli and Miss Sánchez for their hard work on this trip, and to the girls, who were ambassadors for the school. Well done everyone- what a fantastic few days!

Mr Ross

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