CHS Students Travel to Beautiful Spain BY RITA STUBBS

The trip was a wonderful experience and would not have been the same without our amazing leader, Mrs. Macomber, and all of the other teachers who accompanied us.

CHS Students Travel to Beautiful Spain 

BY RITA STUBBS

Over the week of April vacation, I had the pleasure of visiting Spain with my classmates and teachers. On Friday the 13th our trip began with a bus ride from Coventry High School to JFK Airport and we returned the following week on the 22nd. The trip was filled with many memories, laughs and educational experiences that I don’t think any of us will ever forget. Starting in Madrid and ending in Costa del Sol, we saw much of the southern part of the country.

At noon on Friday the thirteenth, a group in the school was giddy with excitement. The Spain trip was about to commence and no one could wait. Saying goodbye to our families was filled with tears and warm wishes, but everyone knew the trip was about to be one of a lifetime. Ahead of us, we had a lot of traveling, but it would all be worth it once we landed in Madrid.

The bus ride to JFK included lots of chatter, traffic, and even some sleeping. More than four hours later we finally reached New York. Entering the airport seemed like a whole other world as the excitement grew even larger. Hanging with our groups, we waited to check our luggage and spent time telling stories and laughing. Eventually, we made it through the bustle of activity in security and wait the few hours for our flight to board. By this time, we were all hungry and tired, but we still managed to keep our spirits up. A few of us made our way to the Airport Shake Shack and chowed on some greasy burgers and chicken sandwiches.

Finally, we boarded our flight. After taxiing around for a bit, we took off and began crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Some of us slept, but the unlucky ones did not. The unlucky few watched the sunrise and watched as the plane began descending into the Madrid airport. At the airport, we met our excited tour guide, Joel. Without him, the trip would not have been as eventful as it was.

After bringing our luggage to our hotel, the tour began. Walking around Madrid was a great way to introduce ourselves to the country. Our language skills were first tested when we found ourselves lunch on our own. In Madrid, much of our time was spent wandering around and exploring. Traveling around Madrid taught us to use the Metro to navigate on our own a little. We were able to visit Puerta del Sol. In this plaza we saw kilometer zero, the point every street in Spain is measured from. Also in this plaza was the famous statue, el oso y el madrono. We also visited Plaza Mayor, a beautiful square. El Retiro was the most beautiful park in Spain. In the park we were able to participate in a bike tour and rowboats. The Temple of Debod, dating back to 2 BC was brought to Madrid and completely reassembled. Seeing such an old piece of history was breathtaking. Next, we visited two famous museums: The Prado and the Reina Sofia. In these we were able to see Picasso’s works, among many others.

On an excursion from Madrid, we traveled to Toledo. Amongst many in the group, Toledo was the favorite place we visited. After visiting Toledo, we understood the expression “Holy Toledo!” In Toledo, we visited a very old Cathedral. The architecture of this Cathedral was breathtaking. Next, we visited a Synagogue that is no longer used because of the lacking Jewish community in Toledo. Last but not least we visited a sword-making shop. Many of us brought home small daggers as souvenirs, no matter the worry of getting them through customs. Our last night in Madrid we saw a live Tuna band where we danced and sang the night away. The next day we visited Cordoba where we visited a Mosque. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed Gelado sitting on the side of the ancient Mosque.

By Wednesday we had reached Sevilla where we toured an olive oil factory. There we learned about how the olive oil was created, and finally, we ended with a taste testing. Not everyone would think olive oil on chocolate ice cream would taste delicious, but those of us that went to Spain would say otherwise! After our taste testing, we ventured to Plaza de Espana, one of my favorite places. The architecture was beautiful and the plaza was huge. If we could have spent more time anywhere, that would have been my first choice. At the Cathedral in Seville we were able to visit the tomb of Christopher Columbus and also climb the bell tower to see an amazing view of the city.

In Sevilla we had the pleasure of joining the excitement of Feria, a traditional festival. Although the day was hot, the citizens were all dressed to the nines in Flamenco dresses and suits. Continuing the party activities, we boarded a party boat with another tour group and danced our way down the Guadalquivir. The night was filled with laughter and memories.

In Granada the next day we toured the Alhambra and completed a city challenge. The city challenge encompassed finding different landmarks in the area and engaging with locals. While it was difficult, it was still rewarding.

Marbella was the best place to end our trip. Lots of our time was spent walking along the water and exploring around our hotel. On a day trip from Marbella, we visited Nerja. In Nerja we stood on the Balcony of Europe but our view was obstructed by the haziness of the day. While it was cloudy, the Mediterranean Sea was beautiful. Also in Nerja we traveled through some very old caves.

We sadly departed from Marbella on the 21st and said our tearful goodbyes to Joel. We then flew to Madrid and ran across the airport to make our connecting flight to Madrid. After another long flight filled with lots of Netflix, we landed back on home soil. By 11 pm that night we were back in our families homes.

The trip was a wonderful experience and would not have been the same without our amazing leader, Mrs. Macomber, and all of the other teachers who accompanied us. Hopefully, we will all experience traveling abroad again.