We arrived after a long journey, made longer by an extra wait in the airport in Madrid. Although the airport there is very nice and modern, we were happy to make it to Barcelona and to be met by the director of Colegio Pare Manyanet and several host parents who took their Pingree guests home for lunch and a much-needed rest.
The school visit began today with a welcome breakfast of Spanish and Catalan specialties: tortilla de patatas, pan con tomate, manchego cheese, and jamón serrano, followed by local pastries. Pingree students were given a lesson in the making of tortilla de patatas in the school kitchen as well as lectures in the phenomenon of Cataluña, and an introduction to today´s trip to the Barrio Gótico--the old quarter of Barcelona. In addition, we visited a class of 5-year olds who were treated to a reading of "Little Red Ridinghood" by Pingree students. Our guided tour took us to the Gothic church of Santa Maria del Mar, the Plaza del Rey where los Reyes Católicos greeted Columbus before his voyage to America, and the old market of la Boquería in the famed Ramblas of the city. All lectures and tours are conducted in Spanish, so those experiences in addition to the homestays, are a great chance to improve fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary.
Friday will feature a 12-hour day with Manyanet students at PortAventura, a famed amusement park in the south of Cataluña.
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