Scavenger hunt on Saturday am

Hello all!
This morning, we all met at the aqueduct for a scavenger hunt to explore the city a bit more. Pre- scavenger hunt, Nick shared with the group about an exciting haircut adventure, but I think that the end result turned out well (see photo)! Segovia's downtown was all a hustle and a bustle with people visiting from Madrid for the day. Mackenzie, Jess and Sara's group finished the activity in record time and with a perfect score!

Tonight, Segovia celebrates the full moon with outdoor concerts and events in every niche of the city. It's one of my favorite happenings of the summer, and luckily this year it coincides perfectly with our visit. We'll be exploring the offerings after dinner.

Safe and sound in Segovia!

We all arrived safe and sound in Segovia last night after our exciting tour of Southern Spain. The host families all met the students and then everyone headed off to their own "Segovian home". This morning, we all met at the aqueduct for a tour of the historic center of Segovia. Jose Miguel was kind enough to share a lot of history and other helpful information about living here and also about navigating the town. The photo below is of the students and Jose Miguel in front of the Alcázar.
Tonight, we'll be taking care of a few logistics in the city and then I believe some of the students will stretch their legs a bit and kick around the soccer ball.
We hope all are well in the US!!!

Happy 4th!

To celebrate the 4th of July tonight, and to reward the students for being such angelitos, we had dinner at our first Anerican-style restaurant since we arrived here in Spain. The students ate US-style burgers and salads with ranch dressing and all, but the most exciting part was the bottomless refills on soda. Then we prepped the students for life in Segovia. They'll be in their home stays starting tomorrow, so wish them luck!

Also, we're doing our best to encourage them not to be on the Internet a lot so as to not detract from the time that they are dedicating to the Spanish culture, so any help with that would be appreciated!!! Happy 4th!!!

Córdoba

Flamenco en Sevilla

Hello all,
I'm about a half day behind right now in photos, sorry! Last night, we finished up our stay in Sevilla with a beautiful, albeit hot, flamenco show. Here are some pictures and a link to a YouTube video of the Casa de la Memoria.

Plaza de España de Sevilla

This morning we had a looooong walk around Sevilla before it got too hot for anything else. We hit up the Plaza de España (see photo), the Plaza de las Américas, and our last Plaza of the morning, the famous Plaza de Toros- Sevilla's bull fighting ring. Then it was lunch and a short siesta/pool time. This evening we're going to a flamenco show, but the students still don't know so shhhhhhh!

Busy day!

Today we went to the Alhambra and enjoyed the beautiful mosaics and stucco of this Moorish palace. "La Alhambra" means "Red Fortress" in Arabic. See photos below with our amazing guide Juan Antonio.
We arrived in Sevilla around 17:00, and after spending the siesta at the pool, we went to a nearby restaurant to watch the futbol game. For the first time in history, a team won three consecutive games (European Cup x 2 and World Cup)!
Now it's off to bed to prepare for a full day of sightseeing tomorrow.
~Anna

Toledo > Granada

Hi all!
Not much time to write, but take a close look at these photos if you can. I am trying to highlight the students, but there are some interesting cultural elements in most of these photos as well.
Un abrazo,
Courtney

Último día en Toledo

After getting a good night's sleep after the futból game last night, we started our day off with a visit to a jewelry workshop that specializes in the demasquinado (not sure of the translation) style of jewelry. Toledo is one of the only places in Spain where you an still find this artisanal jewelry- see pics below. Then it was off to the Catedral Nueva of Toledo and then a scavenger hunt in the city. Next, back to the hotel for a siesta. We have had a warm last few days so we are doing our best to "aprovechar" the AC in the hotels during the hottest time of the day (2-6). Someone was smart enough to pick up a soccer ball during the scavenger hunt, so a lot of students found a field and played soccer during our first bit of free time. For dinner, Anna found the cutest deli where an incredibly nice couple made us all "bocadillos" and we had sandwiches in the park and reflected on Toledo a bit. Tomorrow morning, we're up bright and early to head to Granada. ¡Hasta mañana!

¡Ganamos!

Hello all,
We're exhausted, but I wanted to post a couple of pics from tonight's game. And sorry for the lack of posting- our hotel lost wifi the last 36 hours or so. More to come soon!
-Courtney

¡Qué rico!

Hello all!
Here are a few photos that I took at dinner tonight. It was still pretty warm come dinner time, so we found a chic-indoor tapas joint and had a yummy meal before heading back to the hotel. Tomorrow, we'll be doing a ton of tourist visits here in Toledo and then, who knows, maybe some futból.... ;)

¡Llegamos!

Hi all! I wanted to drop a quick hello from the group before we take a siesta. All are safe and healthy here in Toledo, but we're definitely exhausted. We got to our lovely hotel here, went and grabbed an early lunch (1pm is early for lunch), and now it's nap time. It's hot, but not too bad! After our nap we'll be exploring the beautiful historic district of Toledo.

We hope everyone is well in the US!
Saludos,
Courtney

Calendar of our travel schedule: June 25-July 25, 2012

June 25: Depart from New York, JFK
June 26: Arrive Madrid, bus to Toledo. Orientation in Toledo

June 29: Toledo to Granada, visit the Alhambra in Granada etc.

July 1: Granada to Sevilla

July 3: Sevilla to Córdoba

July 5: Arrive in Segovia; begin family stay and classes at the Colegio Clarín,

Weekdays: Classes every morning. Excursions some afternoons. Most afternoons, nights and weekends with families. One-two excursions to Madrid plus canoeing down Spain's grand canyon "Hoces del Duratón", visits to medieval villages, etc.

July 14: Anna's Birthday
July 24: Bryn's Birthday

July 18: Tour of "La Granja" near Segovia

July 23: "Hoces del Duratón" (the "Grand Canyon" of Spain), tour in kayaks

July 25: Depart MAD to JFK

* All above is subject to change

¡Bienvenidos!

Welcome Rassias 2012 students! This is the blog that I will maintain while we are in Segovia to keep your families updated on your activities in Spain. 


We're excited to have you on the program. I'll post more relevant information here pre-departure and then your parents can follow this page for photos and updates once we're abroad.

Un abrazo,

~Courtney, Master Teacher