Moorestown Friends School Spain 2025
March 23, 2025
Nuestro domingo en España:
After meeting for a buffet style breakfast, which had everything from pineapple and kiwi to brie and croissants, the group got ready for our trip to Alhambra, here in Granada, Spain. On the bus we were still in awe of all the gorgeous scenery that Spain has to offer. Every minute you would see people quickly pulling out their phones or cameras to snap a photo or two. Initially it was a quiet ride as we were still waking up, but the mood was light with people cracking jokes and joining in on others’ conversations now and then.
Once at Alhambra, we were met by our guide who would show us around and explain the history of the area to us for the next 3 hours or so. We learned that Alhambra was home to a thriving mixed-religion community, which is evident in all the gorgeous decorations that surrounded us. Everywhere we looked there was an intricate carved tile wall or elegant displays of cute flowers and orange trees. When walking through the gardens especially it felt like we were in a different world. Trees towered overhead and we were enveloped by the smell of fresh oranges and jasmine that were planted from all over the world. Safe to say that there were many photo stops. The whole experience was only made more surreal when we learned that these amazing palaces and gardens were built over 800 years ago. All the artistry that surrounded us was hand carved and lasted the napoleonic wars, the Spanish inquisition and so many more. Halfway through we stopped at a little souvenir shop where we got gifts for friends back home, and ourselves—let’s be real, some of us also refilled our tanks with hot coffee from a vending machine which was surprisingly delicious. The tour lasted just over two hours, and after all that walking, well, let’s just say we were ready to eat.
After walking down the steep hills and valleys of the Alhambra, we enjoyed Moroccan cuisine for lunch. Despite sitting at two separate tables, we all cherished each other’s company while trying dishes that were new to us. First we were served a platter with eggplant salad, hummus, and taziki which we all enjoyed and the alternative for the people with allergies was also delicious. The main dish was couscous topped with chicken and zucchini: it was interesting because some of us had tried couscous before and others hadn’t. Dessert was oranges topped with cinnamon, brown and powdered sugar. After our much needed meal we headed to the Main Street in Granada to shop at the artisan stores. Next, traveled back to the hotel for siesta time.
After a necessary hour and a half of siesta to recharge we headed back out into Granada in order to both experience a different view of the city and see a flamenco show. The viewpoint, which we made it to after a steep walk was an incredible view with a live musician playing by happenstance.
After our lunch break we watched Flamenco dancers. Flamenco is an important part of spanish culture and our experience began the second we walked through the door. We were greeted by kind faces and offered something to drink once we sat down. Shortly after, the show began, in which 3 flamenco dancers, 1 singer and 1 guitarist presented an amazing performance encapsulating not only the talent and skill this activity requires but the raw emotions that come with the style of dance which has been a part of Spain’s culture for over 200 years. The show started with the guitarist showing his passion for the music, we were then introduced to the singer whose voice sounded beautiful and the 3 dancers came to the stage with not only confidence but energy. Their performance was seamless and was truly an amazing experience. Once the show ended the audience applauded and we all said our thanks and left.
We were incredibly lucky with our bus that happened to be passing right when needed it, which allowed us to not have to walk in the cold.
The last thing we did was dinner. We were all able to go off in groups of six to practice our Spanish and decide our cuisine for ourselves. We all ended up in the same restaurant for dessert before returning to the hotel. It was a lovely opportunity for bonding.
Buenas noches!
By: Amiya, Jade, Ari & Owen
March 24, 2025
When we arrived at the property, our wonderful hosts Irene and Matteo gave us a tour. Sustainability is very important to them, and they shared some of their values with us. On the tour, we were shown manantial which means “spring water” in Spanish. It is a subterranean water source that is constantly running right out of a tree, and it is incredibly clean and fresh. Additionally, we saw “baño seco”, which is a dry bathroom that doesn’t have running water to reduce water waste, and we met chickens (like Lola!), which provide a consistent food source to complete the cycle of sustainability. We practiced some of the sustainable values demonstrated to us that align with our Quaker SPICES by gardening. We planted lettuce and did weeding to maintain the growing fava beans and onions. After a delicious homemade pasta lunch we headed to our workshops which included flamenco dancing and an improv clown workshop. We learned a dance routine, which many found challenging but all got in in the end once we had to partner up and present it to the rest of the group. During the clown workshop, we did theatre exercises— in one of them we presented our names to a group with confidence, made eye contact with everyone, then did a move that we felt represented us. After the two workshops, we ate very juicy oranges and headed off on a very high nature walk to the hotel that we were eating at for dinner. The sun was setting during the walk and since we were so high up, the sunset on the mountains was visible from almost all sides. We culminated the day with dinner with a comforting taste of home as the food was American cuisine then took the bus ride home to bed.
By Makenna, Declan, Olivia, Liam
March 25, 2025
To start the day off we had breakfast very early at 7am. In order to be packed and ready to leave our hotel. We had such a great time spending our first couple of days in Granada touring and visiting amazing historical sites. As we said our goodbyes to Granada we took the bus around 8am to Cordoba for the day. The journey to Cordoba was about 2 hours long, so most of us took the time to catch up on our sleep or check out the scenery around us.
Cordoba:
Once off the bus we took a brisk walk over El Río Grande to a few narrow streets littered with stores. After shopping for about we headed on over to the Mosque-Cathedral courtyard. We got to learn the history of the building and how the mosque section was established by the founder of the Islamic Emirate of Cordoba and during its construction was influenced by numerous cultures. The gorgeous columns and horseshoe arches throughout the building hail from immigrating German animists. The rest of the interior and exterior were designed to mimic a mosque in Surka-which consisted of various patterns and Arabic phrases etched throughout the strucute. This is the reason why it’s the only mosque that isn’t facing Mecca, instead southward. We learned that when the Christains took hold of the city they broke an old preservation law that prohibited the alteration of the mosque. That is when the Roman Visthigothic style church was annxed. There were religious paintings on just about every wall and the ceilings were high allowing massive amounts of natural light to seep through. Within the church we saw the intricately designed altar, pews, and choir platform which left us in awe at it’s beauty.
After visiting the mosque with such beautiful architecture, we headed to a small, dainty restaurant and shared a bunch of food. We were all thoroughly excited as we were hungry and so thankful to be experiencing Spain itself. The restaurant was decorated beautifully with paintings and small sculptures. Students and teachers sat separately, but the atmosphere was very lively and inviting. The waitress took down what we wanted for drinks, and we started having very memorable conversations. Time flew and we soon started to receive our food. With culture kept in mind, we had authentic dishes that were the epitome of the culture in Spain. Breaded chicken, a refreshing, cooled tomato soup, crispy fries, a vibrant mushroom and egg dish, very fresh salad, prosciutto and cheese. We were all amazed by the diverse dishes, and we were able to enjoy every second of the delicious meals we were provided with. The dishes kept coming, and eventually, our stomachs were filled with smiles on our faces. We had a bit more small talk with the people seated at our tables and headed out after an hour and some change back onto the bustling streets of Cordoba.
As we come to the end of our mini adventure in Cordoba, learning many new things about the culture. We head back on the bus around 4:10 pm. Traveling about 2 more hours to our next location which is Sevilla!!! Most of us are excited about eating more delicious food, shopping at the local artisan shops and lastly the beautiful buildings surrounding this amazing place.
Eventually after checking in at our hotel we took a stroll around Sevilla. We saw the Catedral de Sevilla which is the largest gothic Cathedral in the world. Right next to the Cathedral was the Archivo General de Indias that holds all Spanish documentation of American colonization. The group viewed the Royal Palace in which tomorrow we all will take a closer look into the history while exploring the building. El parque María Lucía we walked through in order to find La Plaza de España. At this location the view was majestic since as soon as we arrived the sun was setting perfectly behind the building, most of us walked through taking pictures of this breathtaking view in Spain. Another cool part of the plaza was the small medieval tile pictures against the main building where we took small group pictures. After capturing our moments within the group, we walked to our next activity.
To end the day off, we came to La Piamontesa for dinner. There was a huge selection of pizzas that we indulged in. To name a few: pepperoni pizza, eggplant pizza, and margarita pizza. The pizzas came out quickly, satisfying our hunger within seconds. It was freshly baked in the oven, giving the crust just enough char to make it perfect. The atmosphere of the restaurant was very rustic with a lot of wood features. It reminded a lot of us of an Italian restaurant with the magical spin of Sevilla. As always, a lot of laughs were had and memories were made. An amazing way to end the day off!
By Ida, Gabby & Ali
March 26, 2025
Today, everyone woke up at 9am and gathered for breakfast to start our day. We were ready to explore some of the most iconic landmarks in the city of Sevilla; the Catedral de Sevilla and the Giralda Tower. Our first stop was the Giralda Tower. As we approached, the sheer night was quite impressive. When we arrived, we climbed up the ramps of the bell tower. Although the walk up the tower was a true test of endurance, we were rewarded with breathtaking views of the city of Sevilla that left us in awe. After visiting the Giralda Tower, we split up into groups and explored the cathedral, learning more about the history. We saw many historical sights, such as Christopher Columbus’s grave sight. The exquisite architecture, carvings, statues, and paintings were truly remarkable. After soaking in the beauty of the cathedral, we made our way to the grocery shop at Mercado del Arenal. Our group split up into categories. Each group was given money to spend for our picnic. Some were tasked with purchasing bread and fruit, and others with sweets, and meat. The market had a variety of bakery, sweets, fresh meat, and food. Also, we stopped by to get some beverages of our choice. A short 10-minute walk led us to Jardines de Chapina, a lovely park in Sevilla. The park was flourishing with trees, flowers, with the river that runs through Sevilla. This was where we spread out our picnic and indulged in the tasty food. The weather was absolutely perfect and warm, making our picnic even more enjoyable.
We had an hour during siesta time to refresh before we took a 15 minute walk to the palace, where we were greeted by our tour guide, who gave us earpieces in order to listen to his commentary. He was very lively and funny, making countless jokes throughout the tour and making the experience much more enjoyable and memorable for all of us. We saw beautiful interiors and exteriors during our 1 hour tour at the palace, including a flower-filled courtyard with a maze and amazing halls with mineral-stained designs (colored designs stained by minerals and gems such as lapis lazuli, jade, and turquoise) on the ceilings and walls. We took amazing photos of the scenery at the palace and learned many things, including the history of the dollar sign, which comes from the term “Plus Ultra,” which is embedded in a ribbon between two pillars, making the “S” shape with the two lines. We also learned about the Spanish royal family and their history, as the tour guide walked us through each person of interest through their self portraits on the walls. After saying thanks and goodbye to our guide, we concluded our tour with a self-exploration at the courtyard, where we split up in groups to explore the amazing greenery and environment the palace had to offer, which many of us said was breathtaking. Finally, we took a short break at the cafe right on the outside of the palace to regroup before the next activity together.
We went shopping for two hours, at a street called “serpent”, named due to the way the street weaves around like a snake. There were many different varieties to the shops, going from cute bakeries all the way to clothing, jewelry, and perfume stories. Everyone found a bunch of things to get for themselves and their family members. Several members of the group indulged in buying expensive perfumes that would have gone for way more in the U.S.
Some members also found expensive collectible items for really cheap! The streets were also very beautiful and some people also went into a soccer jersey store, and bought some jerseys from iconic players such as “Mbappe” and “Bellingham”. Some of us we tried delicious churros con chocolate for the first time. Overall, the shopping experience was amazing, and everyone had a great time!
After our shopping spree we split into groups and go to chose our own dinner. It was a great opportunity to try out local restaurants while enjoying Sevilla night life. There were guitar players in front of almost every restaurant filling there air with music while we enjoyed our food. The night was a bit hectic and it took a while for some groups to get served. However, the night ended on a positive note, because after dinner the group went to an ice cream and cafe shop down the street from the hotel. Some enjoyed sweet cold ice cream while others decided on warm crepes. Making up for some of It was an amazing bonding moment for the group. We then headed up to our rooms to get some well deserved rest as tomorrow we are off to our final destination!!
By: Janiel, Barley, Berra and Abi
March 27, 2025
We woke up and have a good buffet breakfast at the hotel, after a walk across a bridge we went to look at ceramics shops which were hand made. Then we walked to a local market and got a tour. I found the tour pretty interesting because they had all the most famous Spanish foods. One of the stores had saffron which is the world’s most expensive seasoning. We learned that it takes around 2000 flowers to create and is 25 euros and 50 USD. Then we took a scenic walk to a kitchen to cook Paella. We had to cut tomatoes, peppers, garlic and peel cucumber, and blend them with olive oil, vinegar and salt, creating gaspacho. Then we continued cutting more vegetables and chicken, we cooked everything in this big pan which took a long time. Then we got to eat the paella. After lunch we had our bus ride to Malaga.
We checked into our hotel and felt the nice spring heat; personally, I thought the weather was super refreshing and a nice contrast to the rain we were greeted with on the first day. Then we toured Pablo Picasso’s birth place and learned about his childhood and how he grew up. I was surprised that he was able to draw such an impressive drawing as a 6 year old. After touring, we went to the Plaza de Flores and shopped for an hour. My friends and I had an incredible time smelling different exotic colognes. For dinner we ate barbecue; it was incredible. I ordered a Hamburguesa Gallega, a burger made with beef that is only grown in a region of Spain called Galicia. So far, the Spanish food has been shockingly good—everything is super fresh and healthy. After we went to our hotel and got some much deserved sleep.
By: Kaden, Charlie & Kayla
