Discovering Sevilla, Spain (10th–12th)
Dates: 3/30 – 4/7
Location: Spain
Price Range: $5000 – $5500
Theme: Culture, Language & History
Faculty Contact: Malcolm Yates and Elin Kuffner
Students on this trip will experience the Spanish life – via arts, culture, history and food. You will interact with local people, meet and connect with high school students and speak some Spanish to the best of your abilities. Led by local guides, we will explore Sevilla and its rich history of Roman, Visigoth, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian influences. We will experience the historical mixture of cultures up close through flamenco music and architecture of narrow, flower-filled streets. We will also visit open markets, interview locals, learn to make paella, bike along the riverfront, and enjoy a noche de tapas. From the cathedral in Sevilla where Isabel and Ferdinand themselves are laid to rest amidst pillaged silver in the conquest of the “New World,” we will have world history and culture at our fingertips. We will include a day visit to Cadiz with a scenic boat trip around the historic harbor. This EBC experience is designed for you to explore the culture, just the way it is, not through the filter of a tour guide, but rather through your own senses, critical thinking, and creative observations. While this trip does not have a Spanish language requirement, students will be expected to converse in Spanish while in public settings, in local classrooms, and at group meals.
Itinerary
Day 1-2: Travel from Seattle via Paris to Madrid and stay in hotel in Madrid.
Day 3: Travel by train from Madrid to Seville. Walking orientation through city center and check into Seville hotel. Welcome Tapas dinner and evening entertainment at Metropol Parsols.
Day 4: Visit to the Royal Palace El Alcazar and the Cathedral and Giralda. Free time for lunch. Bike tour of the city and along the river. Group dinner with Flamenco show.
Day 5: Visit to Plaza de Espana and Maria Luisa Park. Afternoon cooking workshop learning how to cook an authentic Paella. Evening literary activity and dinner in Santa Cruz neighborhood.
Day 6: A day of cultural exchange with students from a school in Seville. We will visit the school and spend time speaking Spanish, interacting with peers, and sharing life stories. We will also do evening dance class in Flamenco, rumba, and buleria.
Day 7: Day trip to the historic city of Cadiz. Explore the old city and tour the harbor by boat. Enjoy lunch in the market and afternoon walk along one of the legendary city beaches. Return to Seville.
Day 8: Final full day in Seville with several options for local student excursions. Try paddleboarding on the river. Visit the legendary bullfighting ring. Do some last-minute souvenir shopping for family members. Finish with a celebratory farewell dinner.
Day 9: Leave early on train to Madrid. Transfer bus to airport for flight home to Seattle!