Second week ends with graduation and good-byes

Our time in Santander passed very quickly and the classes ended on Friday after a few exams and graduation. Students had some free time on Friday to pack and shop. Some students returned to surfing on Thursday and were rewarded with some bigger waves. We woke early on Saturday, said good-bye to our senoras and made our way to historic Toledo. We loved how you could find churches, mosques and synagogues throughout the city of Toledo, which used to be the capital of Spain. We enjoyed the city's history, Greco paintings and cobblestone streets. The morning after our farewell dinner at the hotel we went for a short bus ride to the airport. It was sad to leave each other but we will stay in touch and hope that it will be hasta luego and not adios!

Wednesday in Santillana del Mar or Tapas

The students had a choice between going to Santillana del Mar and having some down time and meeting for tapas in Santander in the early evening. They were pretty much split in half so Valerie Villa (who already had been to Santillana) stayed in Santander for tapas and Amy Gretsch took the group to Santillana del Mar, which is a quaint but touristy town about a half an hour bus ride away. We had about four hours in Santillana and we shopped, visited a torture museum, walked around several other museums and a church with cloisters. We loved the cobblestoned streets and the 15th to 17th century stone houses. We also enjoyed some tapas in a beautiful courtyard restaurant. We didn´t arrive back in Santander until a little past nine so it was a long, but wonderful day.

Surfing in Somo

On Monday we had a fourth of July party in a grassy area by the beach with some snacks that included more American-type food like chocolate chip cookies and licorice. We also bought toys, including a very common beach toy here is comprised of wooden paddles and a ball. They enjoyed playing and chatting and then headed to the beach for the rest of the afternoon. On Tuesday we took a boat to Somo, a beach known for its good waves. After struggling into wet suits they really loved listening to the Australian teacher instruct them on the basics and then they hit the water (some of them literally). Two hours in the water were enough for some of them. They have the option to return to surf today or enjoy some down time.

Sunday in sunny Santander

We took the students to a park that has a zoo, which they enjoyed more than we thought they may, a palace built in 1908 to house royalty when they came to enjoy beautiful Santander and other assorted attractions like the ship above. The students loved the views and seeing all the people out on Sunday enjoying the park and the nearby beaches. The students come from all over the United States (and Dubai) and really get along quite well and love spending time together.

Picos de Europa

We traveled on Saturday for two hours to Picos de Europa (mountain tops of Europe), which is the largest national park in all of Europe. We took the cable car up and walked around the top for about an hour before taking the cable car back. On the way back to Santander, we visited a quaint town called Potes.

Santander-the first week

Monday the students began their first week of classes (four hours per day) and we toured the city a bit and showed them the favorite beach for young people, named the second beach. The next day it rained and we went to Corte Ingles, a large shopping center, for several hours. Some of them have been back there to shop or watch movies. The next day most of them went to the beach or walked around town for the first free day! On Thursday, we took them by cab up to the faro (lighthouse) and walked down from there. They loved climbing around the rocks and the beautiful views. They all keep remarking about how beautiful Santander is and are happy they came!

Meeting our senoras

Meeting the senoras with whom we will spend the next two weeks is a somewhat scary but also joyful occasion as you can see in these photos. One of the most wonderful parts of the SPI experience is the home stay and these senoras take very good care to feed and help the students. They really treat them better than their own children. In addition, they provide wonderful opportunities to speak Spanish outside of the classroom and very accustomed to speak slower and understand our students. I am sure you will hear lots of stories about their senoras from this first encounter to the despedida (good-bye).