‘I was struck by how willing and eager the local people were to give up a few minutes of their day to help us’
in the annual festival of San Fermín. We were really able to appreciate Pamplona’s tranquil atmosphere with its open spaces, wide streets, scenic green areas and its abundance of communal squares – providing stark contrast to the busy, boxed-in streets of South London. During these meanderings, I was struck by how willing and eager the local Pamplonese people were to give up a few minutes of their day to help us whenever we were lost or slightly disorientated, and the ease with which we were occasionally able to engage in casual conversation with strangers. To me, this was key in helping to create a welcoming atmosphere throughout our weeklong trip. In addition to the delicious dinner we enjoyed on our last evening, a visit to a small churros bar near La Plaza de Castillo provided us with an especially memorable experience of local Spanish cuisine. Churros are a kind of elongated doughnut and our servings of ‘chocolate con churros’ proved more than capable of living up to the hype. Additionally, a cooking lesson gave us the chance to test our own culinary skills whilst making the popular Spanish dish ‘Tortilla española’. Another important part of Spanish culture that we were able to experience was the country’s love for a range of different sports. For example, after some time to relax or sleep-in on the Sunday morning, we had the opportunity to play ‘Pelota Vasca’ after being given a brief history of the sport and learning about its significance in Spanish culture. Unsurprisingly, football also played a memorable role in our trip, as we spent one evening watching a Liga Adelante match between Osasuna and Llagostera (which will probably be remembered more for Osasuna’s comically poor performance than for the high-quality football usually associated with Spanish teams). Visits to the Museo UNAV and the Guggenheim (in Bilbao) also allowed us to appreciate the importance of the visual arts in Spanish culture, with a particularly strong emphasis being placed on the works of contemporary artists. After spending a thoroughly enjoyable week in Pamplona, noticeable improvements to the confidence and fluency with which we are speaking Spanish have proven the trip to be more than worthwhile.
Paddy Wilson (Year 12) explains how he spent a week in automotive heaven while visiting Bologna
W hen the words Ferrari, Maserati, Ducati, Lamborghini and Pagani are mentioned in a five-day itinerary, you forget about the 0530 flight departure time. There was great anticipation in the group of Year 11 and 12 Design Technology students about what we were going to experience, and secretly our teachers, Mr Ross, Mrs Angel and Mr Hutchings, were as excited as us. We had our first taste of Italian car brilliance in the Lamborghini museum. The visit started with a guided tour by a Lamborghini employee, and after this we were allowed to roam around the museum and take pictures of legendary cars such as the Gallardo, Murcielago and one-of-a-kind cars such as the Egoista. After this, the group swiftly travelled to a private collection that we had the privilege of viewing, which mainly consisted of Maseratis, although it had a few other brands, including many vintage sports cars. Next to this private collection there was a Parmigiano Reggiano factory, in which we had a guided tour showing us the delicate process of making and storing the cheeses. Day Three was devoted entirely to Ferrari. There was a guided tour around the incredibly modern Ferrari museum, which encompassed all aspects of this sports car’s heritage. There were Formula 1 cars, concept cars and classic sports cars we could look at in our groups, but the best was still to come as we boarded the official Ferrari coach to take a tour through the highly secretive Ferrari factory. We were not allowed off the coach, nor even to take photos. The highlight was seeing the racing track at the back of the facility, on which cars are regularly tested by famous racers.
Next came Ducati, who create highly innovative motorbikes. This tour was very hands-on and featured G-force tests and disassembling the engines of motorbikes. Our final tour of the trip was of the Pagani factory, and many boys thought the best was saved till last. Pagani create bespoke supercars and it was an honour to visit the only factory. This was by far the smallest company we visited and the cars were incredible mixes of engineering and art. We were also allowed to get up close to the supercars and take photos – in contrast to Ferrari. It was a sombre mood on the final day as we made our way back to the airport, but everybody was content and inspired by the unbelievable engineering we had seen.
W hen we arrived – 21 of us, accompanied by Ms Cutler, Ms Porter and Mr Nash – we were eager but understandably nervous to meet the hosts with whom we would be spending the next six days. Fortunately, after the first few minutes of slightly awkward conversation (which gave us an early opportunity to practise our Spanish), we all found our hosts to be very warm and welcoming. Soon, we were taken home to get some rest before our first full day in Spain. The next morning, we started our first day of classes in the Pamplona Learning Spanish Institute, where we took part in lessons in which we were taught entirely in Spanish and were, ourselves, only ever allowed to speak in Spanish. As challenging as this was at first, the experience of having lessons in this format throughout the week really encouraged us to speak the language more confidently. After classes on the first day, we took part in a map- reading exercise, which gave us our first chance us to explore the city and immerse ourselves in its culture. One particular highlight was the passage leading into La Plaza de Toros – Pamplona’s world-famous bullring, which is renowned for hosting the running of the bulls Joel Aikins (Year 12) reflects on the rich cultural diet on offer in Pamplona
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