The Convent and Stuart Hall Spain trip has had some of the highest reviews and positive feedback. 18 students, Dr. Hackenburg and Ms. O’Donnell explored Spain, North, and South, visiting many important historical and religious sites. The students were in Spain for Holy Week, the week right before Easter, and experienced the lively processions first-hand. This trip was extremely meaningful, especially to Dr. Hackenburg, who said: “Although I saw many incredible sights—like the Great Mosque of Córdoba and the Alhambra in Granada—the most meaningful part of the trip for me was watching the students come together as a group. By the end, it felt like they had truly bonded and shared a unique, unforgettable experience.”

The students landed in Madrid, and spent a day there, visiting the famous Prado Museum. Although it started raining, students found ways to explore the city during their free time after the museum. A small group, that I was a part of, decided on a dinner place and ordered traditional Spanish food. The croquetas, fried cheesy ham balls, were to die for and were quickly finished. The rest of the night was spent shopping and strolling through the lit-up streets of the nightlife-rich Madrid. Early the next morning, the students got on a high-speed train set for Santiago de Compostela, a town in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula.

After two and half hours of zooming 300 kilometers an hour, we arrived in the rainy and cold Santiago de Compostela, a town known for being the end of the Camino de Santiago. The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is known for housing the tomb of St. James; the final destination for the pilgrims of the Camino. The centuries-old Cathedral was beautiful. Students had the opportunity to split up into small groups and explore the Cathedral themselves. Many chose to see the tomb of St. James which sits under the main altar and is accessible through a narrow staircase and hallway. The rest of the day was spent exploring the city, highlighted by an incredible pasty shop that I found with friends. We split an amazing Nutella and hazelnut-covered brioche. The evening was spent in a nearby park taking pictures and drinking warm coffee in a cafe whilst it rained outside. The night was spent playing pool with friends and further exploring the city. The next day started with Ms. O leading an expedition to a lookout point of the city, taking part in the Camino to get there. When coming down, we caught the beginning of the procession. The procession was incredibly memorable, not only because of the loud, heart-thumping drums, the perfectly synchronized marching band, or the beautiful Bible-related statues, but mainly because of the men that were part of the procession wearing long white cloaks and white pointy hats… It was an odd feeling seeing these figures so close, but knowing that it was just Catholic tradition and not a racist group. The end of the Procession was highlighted by a lighthearted ride on a carousel, where Dr. Hackenburg stole the show. The rest of our stay at Santiago de Compostela was made of a delicious lunch featuring great charcuterie and seafood, and further exploration of the city. Later that evening, we all boarded on a train that would take us all the way South to Cordoba, a seven-hour train ride through the heart of Spain.

Arriving at 11:30 at night in Cordoba, everyone was tired and hungry. The only open thing: is kebabs. It was hard trying to find a spot to eat it, because of another procession. This one was bigger and louder than the first one we saw at Santiago de Compostela. The next morning we all woke up to go see the Great Mosque, a very important historical and religious site. Ms. O, who teaches about the mosque as part of the Early Modern History class, was especially excited to see it. One of her students, Chiara Ferro, was also excited to see the mosque because “we had learned about it in history class, and it was super cool to see so many aspects of Islamic history in person.” The Great Mosque was beautiful inside and of course, was highlighted by the incredible Cathedral that was built in the middle after the Christians invaded Cordoba and took it back from the Muslims. Students were free to roam the city after the tour of the Great Mosque. This time was made up of lunch, exploring small, aesthetic allies, and trying to navigate through more processions. The day was finished with a big group dinner. Early the next morning, we all loaded our stuff on a big bus and headed for Grenada.

When we arrived at Grenada, we quickly found ourselves hurrying to our reservations at the Cathedral of Grenada, famous for housing the tombs of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. These two are amongst the most influential figures in the world, as they ordered the Spanish Inquisition along with granting Christopher Columbus the right to explore the new world. The Cathedral itself was out of the world; one would say majestic. The rest of the day was spent exploring the city, dinner, followed by fun group karaoke, where we may have sung one too many Katy Perry songs. The next day we had a scheduled tour of Alhambra – a centuries-old Muslim fort in Grenada. The views were amazing, the gardens were beautiful, and the architecture was extremely unique. Incredible flicks were taken. After multiple hours of exploring the old fort, we headed back down to the city center for lunch. We all split up into groups, each finding their place to eat. We all later met up at Monasterio de San Jeronimo, a very old monastery that was built right after the Christians took back the city from the Muslims. The day was topped off by a fancy dinner where everyone got dressed up and a surprise prom-posal took place! After dinner, everyone went up to an incredible lookout point where we all took pictures and enjoyed the view of the lit-up Alhambra and the city. Our last day in Grenada was made up of free time. I, along with friends, went to a small cafe that sold Iberian jamon and Spanish cheese. Was it some of the best-tasting food ever? Yes. 100%. We finished our little culinary excursion with unique donuts that were extremely airy and delicious. It was finally time to go back to Madrid, for our last day in Spain. In Madrid, we had a final group dinner and a Flamenco show which was very exciting. Our last day was made up of exploring Madrid and sharing favorite memories from the trip in the hotel lobby.

Although the trip felt like it went by quickly, we had seen and experienced so much. My favorite part was exploring all the cities at night, when the streets were lit up, and the nightlife was starting to come alive. Amanda Jackson, when asked about her favorite part, said: “My favorite part was walking around all of the different streets and exploring all of the tiny shops and enjoying breathtaking views.” Convnet Junior Alisa Houts said: “The Spain trip allowed me to see history in today’s world, and gave me new perspectives on how history continues to impact us in our daily lives.” This trip was extremely exciting, particularly because of the opportunity to do self-exploring. Dr. Hackenberg and Ms. O purposefully allowed us to have free time to explore cities by ourselves. I think this is what made the trip so great, and set it apart from other school trips.