This Easter, the Latin/Classics department took 50 Year 9-10 students on a stunning trip to sunny Spain! After almost 700 years of occupation, coastal Spain is rich with Roman influence. The Spanish provinces were among the first to be conquered by Rome, and the Iberian peninsula was invaded as part of their struggle against Carthage.
Oliver (10DGA) commented, “The week in Spain was an extraordinarily fun blend of both classical and current Spanish culture. I enjoyed delicious food including a vat of paella the size of a small satellite dish and a trip to the beach with a few galloping horses. We also saw a stunning, world heritage 2000-year-old theatre, an amphitheatre designed with acoustics to make Epidaurus anxious, and Mr Morrison run to beat our travelator. Also, there was flamenco dancing, which was awesome.”
On the first day, after landing in Gibraltar and narrowly avoiding its posse of passport-stealing monkeys, we enjoyed a walking tour of Hispalis (the Roman name for Seville) and settled into our lovely hotel. Seville is one of the most beautiful places on earth, with its Roman architecture, orange trees, towering cathedrals and locations from opera. After a week of rain in Seville, we were extremely fortunate to enjoy blissful sunny weather throughout our visit.
We visited the vast amphitheatre at Italica, birthplace of the emperor Trajan and famous as a filming location from ‘Game of Thrones’. We explored its broad paved streets and luxurious houses containing a wide variety of beautiful mosaic floors, similar to Pompeii.
We then ventured underground to explore the necropolis (‘city of the dead’) at Carmona, a collection of over 900 family tombs in subterranean chambers hewn from rock. We saw the famous elephant guarding one of the tombs and watched a riveting video on the site’s history.
On the third day, we visited Mérida which preserves more ancient Roman monuments than any other city in Spain, including a theatre, amphitheatre, three aqueducts, a temple, as well as the longest of all surviving Roman bridges and the finest surviving circus. The Museum of Roman art was a particular highlight, bedecked with massive mosaics and elaborate architecture. We even spotted the original head from a statue of the emperor Augustus.
We had lunch in a local steakhouse and tapas bar where students enjoyed a three-course meal, featuring grilled sirloin steak and an assortment of local appetisers and desserts. In the evening, students enjoyed some free time in the hotel gym and played football in the park. We also managed to catch the Man City vs Aston Villa match. Mr Morrison’s season ticket had not gone to waste after all.
Jack (10DGA): “The trip was a great experience that I’m very grateful to have had the chance to go on. It was my first time resting in a while which was nice. The sun was top, and the hotel had some of the best tasting water I’ve had. People on the trip were great to be with from the students to the teachers and we had good vibes on the coach to the actual meat of the day. The best parts were playing football at night and balling on the beach where we also could experience all the waves and get that bikini tan in. A moment I won’t forget is when Theo and I ran off to play the beautiful game on a clay pitch with Spanish locals. Top, top trip. Massive thanks to everyone but especially MM. Simply one of the best at his game.”
The tour continued in Roman Cordoba, as we visited the Roman bridge across the Guadalquivir, mausoleum, and Emperor Maximian’s Palace. The Cordoba archaeological museum was replete with artefacts relating to the Year 10 Classical Civilisation modules and contained the original foundations of the city’s theatre. We enjoyed spotting a statue of everyone’s favourite set-text author Seneca, who was born in Cordoba, and, as part of our walking tour, going to the basement of a department store which contained a hidden Roman natatio (swimming pool).
We then explored the Plaza de España, a city square of unparalleled beauty, and enjoyed some flamenco dancing and orange slushies. We took a candid photo on one of its beautiful, tiled bridges, before heading back to the hotel.
The final day featured a visit to Baelo Claudio and its Roman theatre, temples, paved forum with a basilica and market, thermal baths, and large fish-salting factory for the manufacture of garum, the widely popular fish sauce of the Romans.
The trip concluded on the stunning beach at Playa de Bolonia where wild horses roamed free – thank you to the staff for untethering them from their stable to provide a pitch-perfect Instagram photo – and the sun shone. One student channelled his inner Indiana Jones and uncovered the lip of an original Roman amphora on the beach. Miss Rollino made some fabulous stories which can be viewed on the school Instagram, now at over 3,000 followers!
On the way home, we saw the north coast of Africa and stopped for a final group photo.
The concierge at the hotel said that Emanuel was the best and most well-behaved school group they had ever come across. The coach driver described the trip as ‘a smashing success’.
Sofia (10DGA) concludes, “This year’s Classics and Latin trip to Seville has been the most incredible opportunity ever. Not only were the sites incredibly beautiful and the archaeological sites full of fascinating historical importance, but for the whole trip, everyone got along so well (including teachers) and that really made it ten times better! Though there were a number of stunning places we visited, I would have to say that my favourite was Mérida’s Roman theatre. I was amazed at how well preserved it was and the history and myths behind it really surprised me… as someone who loves theatre, I know I would have loved it. For my most memorable moment, it would probably be the hotel nights playing football and being followed by spirited children who wanted to play with us! Also, the number of nights all of us played Dobble before going to bed. It really was such a fun experience.”
Thank you to Miss Ferstman, Miss Rollino, Mr Flintoff and Miss Burdett, and to all students for their support, behaviour and collaboration on a trip which will be remembered forever.
Adiós!
Mr Morrison, Teacher of Classics
