Year 11 and 12 trip to Madrid

On Friday 28 March we arrived at Cheney at 3:45am (!!!) and piled on to the coach to Heathrow. When we got to Madrid we spent a few hours exploring ‘El Retiro’ park and then we met our Spanish families and traveled back to our respective homes. Some of the groups then went out with our Spanish families in the evening and went to ‘Palacio Hielo’, where they had ice skating, bowling and an arcade. It was a very enjoyable welcome to Spain, and all of the families were lovely, even if we didn’t get to see them much. 

Early Saturday morning we all met at the train station, Atocha, and then went to the Museo Nacional del Prado. Later we went to a building featured in the show 'Money Heist'. During the afternoon we also went shopping and went to the top of a five story department store (El Corte Inglés) to get a good view of Madrid. 

On Sunday we travelled to Plaza del Sol where we took photos with a statue of the national symbol of Madrid. We then went to view the Palace of Madrid from the outside and spent some free time exploring. We had a picnic for lunch, explored more of the city and then went home. 

Monday we travelled to a Spanish school on the outskirts of Madrid, where we had a tour, and met the students and teachers there. It was in a lovely area and we had a great time making our presentations (en español por supuesto!) about Cheney and Oxford, and also doing ice-breakers. After that, we went to the Bernabeu Stadium, where we had a look around the outside. In the early evening, we had tapas, a traditional Spanish food selection, and the food was lovely and the atmosphere was amazing. 

On the last morning we all got out of bed early to meet at the Plaza de España. From there we visited a school. The school was not much different to Cheney. The Spanish students were very friendly. Some of the Cheney students did their presentations again for this school. I really enjoyed watching them all, and I think the Spanish students did too. The school took us on a long walk to the park. There were lots of beautiful views out over Madrid and it was a great place to sit and eat lunch (or play hide and seek as some of us did). Then we headed to the airport. We had a smooth flight home. Later on the coach, everyone including teachers sang our hearts out.

Overall it was such a fun week. SO glad I was able to go on it.

Marissa and Josh, Year 11