Day 1
Our first day to Spain was a long day starting out from Nenagh College at 2am on Wednesday morning with 56 excited students and 8 nervous staff members. After arriving in Malaga for lunch we headed off for a guided walking tour of the 3rd oldest city in Western Europe. The weather was beautiful and everyone had a great time. We then set off for our accomadation and evening meal. Fun afterwards on the beach with our first swim in the med and some beach ball. A walk along the promenade down to the the old harbour rounded off a great day. A good night’s rest to be had in anticipation of another busy day tomorrow.
Day 2
A trip to the UNESCO World Heritage city of Seville. This beautiful capitol of AndalucÃa is home to amazing palaces, parks and the largest gothic Cathedral in the world. . While in the city we were given a very interesting guided tour by a lady who just happened to be the mother of a former Spanish student in Nenagh College. It really is a small world! We then had free time to explore the old city and visit the Cathedral, climbing it’s tall Giralda tower for wonderful views of the city. The Cathedral also houses the tomb of Christopher Columbus. After a long day we returned to our hotel for dinner and much needed rest.
Day 3
Mid way through our tour and spirits are remaining high, despite the tiredness. Today our trip was to the former capital of Moorish Spain – Granada. This beautiful city in the mountains is not your regular Spanish city as it is dominated by the Palaces and Gardens of the Moorish (Arabic) aristocrats of the 1300s and 1400s.  We were treated to a tour hour walking tour of the old city, seeing it’s old markets and North African architecture. We then had a few hours to wander the streets in our own time and soak up the atmosphere of this bustling old town and it’s rich history.
After a long day of walking and touring a swim in the med was most welcome by everyone when we returned to the hotel.
Day 4
It’s with a certain level of sadness that we begin our last day in Spain. The trip has flown by and our adventure is coming to an end. Before we leave though we still have some great sights to see. Today brings us to Ronda, with it’s spectacular bridge and beautiful streets. We had 3 hours to explore the city by ourselves and walk through the valley under the famous bridge. Some of us even found time to enter in local politics and become active citizens!! 😅
Later we returned to Malaga, where our trip began 3 days earlier, to have more time to explore this seaside city. The sun was shining and the waterfront bustling with Saturday afternoon markets and families strolling in the sun. A naval vessel was docked at the pier and a number of our students went aboard to explore the inside of such a vessel. Some were doing their best Tom Cruise impersonation from Top Gun. 😎
