A day early of the Easter break, a group of forty students and four teachers travelled to the Spanish city of Barcelona. All students were studying either art or media, from GCSE/BTEC students up to the final year of A-Level studies. This trip gave us the opportunity to explore Barcelona and its vibrant culture, as well as the many wacky but yet wonderful artists of Catalan Spain. Our day begun with a 7.30am coach transfer, in order to reach Gatwick airport in time for our 11am flight. In terms of weather, it could only get better; Bromley may have been a pleasant 18 degrees Celsius as we left that morning, but on touchdown in Barcelona it was pushing 26 degrees- the BBC five-day weather report had proved accurate!
With no time to relax, our tour guide Jan packed us on to our exclusive ‘Ravensbourne’ coach and we set off for our first destination- Montjuic Parc. Here, we were able to see the stadiums and general legacy of the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. Our next pit stop was Parc Guell, designed by the Spanish architect Antoní Gaudí. With the sun beating down, the beautiful greenery and building facades looked amazing, and really gave us a sense of how 20th century architecture still influences Spanish culture today. Next up was Las Ramblas, a popular street lined with trees. Swedish-born Jan advised us to keep our belongings close; being popular with tourists means Las Ramblas is coincidentally popular with pick pockets too! Mercat de la Boqueria is the famous market on Las Ramblas, with a diverse range of exotic yet also local foodstuffs. Our last tourist destination of the day was the incredible La Sagrada Familia church, also designed by Catalan architect Gaudí. The Roman Catholic church, of overwhelming proportions, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In construction since 1883, the build is aiming for completion in 2026- one hundred years since Gaudi’s death. The works of Gaudí during his lifetime has made him the best known representative of Catalan modernism. After what was an extremely long day, we headed back to our hotel to unpack, and then for a late dinner at a nearby eating complex.
Day two begun with an early continental breakfast at our hotel, in order to fuel up for another day full of sightseeing. Our coach took us to Figueres, the birthplace of the surrealist Catalan painter, Salvador Dalí. We were here to visit his museum, the single largest and most diverse collection of Dalí’s work. Inside we found striking and bizarre images, including melting clocks and very odd optical illusions. After lunch, we travelled back to central Barcelona to visit La Pedrera, a building designed by Gaudí with exceptional panoramic views over Barcelona from the large roof terrace. It is located on a busy avenue in Spain, surrounded by the shops of many international designers. In terms of buying or renting property, this street (Passeig de Gracia) is the most expensive in the whole of Spain. Back up to Montjuic was where we visited the Joan Miró Fundacion, a museum of modern art honouring the Spanish painter. He received international acclaim for his surrealist work and use of experimental style. From Montjuic, we went back into central Barcelona and visited the Picasso Museum. It has one of the most extensive collections of art works by the Spanish artist, who is best for co-founding the Cubist movement. He is arguably one of the best known figures of 20th century art around the world.
After two exhausting days, a visit to the theme park Port Aventura was not so fast-paced, despite some rides reaching 83 miles per hour... We were able to spend the whole day basked in glorious sunshine- it’s just a shame the water park wasn’t open for season yet! Being the 6th most visited theme park in Europe, it was busy- even for a Sunday!
Day four: To the forest! By now we were more than accustomed to the quirky sayings and phrases of Jan, our charming tour guide. First visit of the day was to the Catalonia Audio Park- finally something for Mr Williams and his media students! We received a talk about the history of the studios and also had the opportunity to discover an empty production set; climbing on gangways on the ceiling proved too much for some! Back into Barcelona, where we visited the football stadium of Barcelona FC, Camp Nou, commonly regarded as one of the best football teams in the world. The stadium is the largest in Europe, with a capacity of just under 100,000, so I think we can be forgiven for being overwhelmed! Once we had stocked up on Barcelona FC merchandise from the rather over-priced shop, we had a chance to unwind on the beach adjacent to the harbour Port Vell. Despite the warm weather, the sea was far from temperate! Leaving a trail of sand, it was late afternoon by the time that we caught the metro back to our hotel. That evening, we travelled into Barcelona by metro to see a traditional flamenco show. This type of dance, native to Spain, left everyone in awe of the dancers’ talent and skill in order to perfect such a passionate way of moving your body.
Our final day in Barcelona took us back to where we begun; Parc Guell. Here, we were given over an hour to explore the grounds and perhaps even practise our drawing skills. Once heading towards the airport to travel home, we surprised Ms Ashman with a brand new pair of Ray-Bans to thank her for her hard work in organising such a lovely trip for us all! If only we could’ve stayed longer!
By Annie Quinton
