By Carly Montan
Life Editor
This past spring break, the city of Manhattan Beach was left barren and lifeless due to the amount of families and individuals away on vacation. In search of a new culture and a global perspective, 23 Mira Costa students and four chaperones ventured to the European country of Spain.
For 10 days, from March 29 through April 8, the group toured the Northern half of the country, visiting Madrid, Segovia, Burgos, Bilbao, San Sebastián, Pamplona, Barcelona and an unexpected side trip to Saint Jean De Luz, France. The annual trip, headed by Costa Spanish teacher Felise Shapiro with the help of fellow teachers Michael Hayden, Edward Frigola and Christine Baral, strengthened the Spanish-speaking skills of the students.
“I expected an unforgettable experience, and I definitely got one,” senior Alex Rosen said. “In 10 days, we saw more beautiful cities, ate more churros con chocolate, and made more great friends than I had expected.”
The first three days were spent in Madrid, the capital and home of the geographic center of Spain.Every day started early with breakfast and a bus or walking tour of the surrounding area and ended with free time.
“The people are more diverse and more passionate than any other country in Europe, and their history is by far the richest,” sophomore Brian Martin said.
In Madrid, the students explored the 2,000-room royal palace, the central park and the back streets and alleys that famous author Ernest Hemingway would frequent in his lifetime.
“My favorite city was Madrid because I got to practice my Spanish while diving into the true culture of Spain,” Rosen said.
The next few days were spent on the road in the Northeastern region of Spain stopping at such sites as the aqueducts in Segovia, the Cathedral of Burgos in Burgos, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the cathedrals, bridges and beaches of San Sebastian, the “running-of-the-bulls” route in Pamplona and the unique architecture of Barcelona.
“Spain is unarguably the historically most diverse country in Europe, being from four separate countries combined into one,” Martin said.
As the trip came to an end, a highlight for many of the students was their last day in Barcelona. The city is spattered with the distinct architecture of the Spanish Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi.
“My favorite part of Spain was Barcelona because of the Sagrada Familia Cathedral created by Gaudi,” Martin said. “Every time you go to Barcelona, some part of it is changed or newly built.”
With the great success from this year’s Spain trip, Shapiro hopes to get another group of students together to explore a different area of Spain next year. Even with some students graduating, the travelers all agree that Spain is a place to visit more than once.
“I definitely would recommend the Spain trip to future students,” junior Divyani Patel said. “Besides enjoying the rich and diverse culture, I grew closer to friends and made new ones.”
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