!Hola! It was an early start on Saturday 7th of July, all 47 of us arrived at school eagerly waiting to get on the coach taking us to Luton airport. Soon we were off starting the adventure! We arrived at the airport full of      excitement, got our boarding pass, went through security, getting more and more excited! We had some spare time before the flight, so we grabbed some breakfast and bought our lunch for later on. Breakfast eaten, it was time to board the plane! We managed to get our seats to then sit down and relax. And we were off; in the air! Just after two hours, we landed in Madrid; it was crazy to think we were really here. Prior to our trip, STAGS had been travelling to Barcelona, but we were the first year to start the new journey to Madrid! Off the plane, we got our suitcases and walked out of the airport feeling ecstatic—Madrid is super hot and sunny! We got on the coach to take us to our hotel, joined by a lovely woman who guided us on our ride and explained all about Madrid. It was so interesting listening to some of the unique facts about the capital of Spain. After checking into our grand and luxurious hotel, we walked to the  nearby Parque del Retiro and enjoyed a picture-perfect picnic. Topped up with lots of sun cream, we picked up a cheeky ice cream along the way, from the shops, enabling us to practice our Spanish. After a few hours, we headed off to the Thyseen-Bornemiza museum, which was full of incredible art. Continuing our great day, we went back to the hotel to freshen up, and then we went out for a lovely traditional Spanish meal just down the road from our hotel. We had a great evening to complete such a whirlwind day and headed back to our hotel with full stomachs to sleep it all off. The following breakfast the next morning, we travelled to Toledo—a beautiful old town on the high ground full of little wonky alleys and breathtaking views. We were guided round by a Spanish woman who informed us of all things Toledo. Later on we took a small shopping trip around the town centre with friends and it was very fun! By four o’clock, we were on our way back to the hotel to speak with Soledad, a Spanish news journalist who had some incredible stories to tell us, which were so unbelievably touching to hear. After listening to Soledad we enjoyed a lovely range of salads and typical Spanish dishes—delicious! Back to the hotel, another crazy day meaning another good night's sleep. The next day we visited the Museo del Prado—an amazing museum packed with great paintings. Afterwards we had a two-hour  Spanish lesson at the International House where the native Spanish teachers had prepared lots of activities! We had quite a long walk back to the hotel, but it was fun being with friends and looking around the different areas of Madrid. At the hotel we got ready for the final evening out which was tapas, my favourite! Dinner was over and unfortunately the time had come where we had to end our Madrid journey. So we all had an early night to be ready for our flight the next day. On our leaving day, our last visit was to the local market, where we purchased lots of souvenirs to take home with us. But after an hour or so it was time to head back to the hotel to collect our suitcases and have lunch. Not long after we got on the coach to the airport, we were really sad to leave but so happy to have had such a wonderful trip! And then we were off again, and back home to share all our fun memories. From all of us on the trip—thank you to Miss Hewitt, Mrs Smith, Mrs Benekou, Mrs Buckley and Mrs Antona for leading everything! So until the next adventure...adios!

Milly Ashley, Year 10