Spanish: Barcelona 2024

“Visiting Spain with the whole Spanish ‘family’ was an unforgettable experience, and certainly one of my best at JAGS so far. The rich culture, beautiful architecture, mouth-watering food, and so much more made Barcelona one of my favourite cities that I have seen, and it was even better to spend it with my friends and teachers.

“For me, my highlight was our visit to El Padre Damian school, where we got an insight into Spanish life for people just like us, and it was great to be able to put our language skills to use and really see the rewards, by being able to engage, talk, and laugh with so many Spanish people our age.

“I also loved Casa Batlló, and I thought the architecture was just amazing – like nothing I have ever seen before. The blue tiles and winding staircases were so beautiful, and it was so nice to be able to see all the things we have discussed about Gaudi in real life.

“Last but not least, the food was so delicious. The tapas, the paella, the churros! It was all unforgettable, and I hope I can go back to Spain soon to relive all the amazing moments again. The Spanish teachers gave us the most incredible experiences and a trip that made my love of Spanish even stronger. ¡Muchas gracias!” Olivia (Y12)

“The trip was an incredible experience for a number of reasons, and I created memories that will stay with me forever. One of the most striking parts of the trip was familiarising ourselves with the unique works of Antoni Gaudí, founder of Catalan Modernism architecture, whose works in Barcelona are widely celebrated, such as La Sagrada Familia and Casa Batlló.

“On the first full day, we visited La Sagrada Familia in the afternoon and a guide led us around the church. It was incredible to see the extraordinary stained-glass designs within the interior, and how Gaudí was influenced by the natural world in the structures he designed and the colours he used. The next morning, we walked to Casa Batlló and its exterior was amazing!

“The shapes were so unlike architecture we had ever seen before, and the blue and green façade was beautiful. After queueing up, we went into the house itself, accompanied with an audio description in Spanish of each room, explaining Gaudí’s process. My favourite part of the house was the colour gradient of the tiles surrounding the staircase, as pale blue became increasingly dark as we climbed the stairs. It was a memorable part of an amazing trip and I miss it already!” Harriet (Y12)

“Despite the rainy weather, I had an amazing time and discovered so much about the rich history of Barcelona. My highlight was most definitely visiting the school which our teacher, Señorita Sanchez, had links with. This was hugely interesting as it provided us with a brief insight into the lives that the students lead and the types of facilities that they spent their days in.

“The comparison, which the situation allowed for, with our own school as well as city was extremely interesting. This will also prove to be beneficial in future revision as we spend a large portion of our course at A Level analysing cultural differences between our two countries and the differences between the region of Cataluña and the rest of the country. On top of this, despite us talking to our Spanish counterparts in English at times to allow them to perfect their own learning, I spent most of the time speaking in Spanish which was hugely useful and a confidence boost. Everything from the lovely hostel to the delicious restaurants in which we had dinner made the experience so enjoyable and one that I’ll never forget.” Eva (Y12)