Weekend in Madrid

Madrid is a south-western European city and the capital and largest municipality. The city is located on the Manzanares River in the centre of the country. While Madrid possesses a modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighbourhoods and streets. Some of its historical buildings and important places are: the Royal Palace of Madrid; the Royal Theatre with its restored 1850 Opera House; the Retiro Park, founded in 1631; the 19th-century National Library building Golden Triangle of Art, Prado Museum, the Reina Sofía Museum, a museum of modern art, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Cibeles Palace and Fountain have become the monument symbol of the city of Spain. We are going on a trip with our family to Madrid on 19th (Saturday) and 20th (Sunday) of December.
We are going by car and we leave from Granada the 18th in the afternoon to arrive to Madrid at night. We will sleep in a Hotel called Hostal Rayuela situated in Fuencarral,in the center of Madrid.

We will sleep there two nights and the price is 26€ per night. We have booked a room for three people.

The 18th, when we arrive we will leave the baggage in the hotel and we will go to have dinner in a restaurant near it, called Las Noches de Moscú. We will have a 20€ menu.
  

The next day we will go to Las Rozas village that is a shopping centre with many expensive brands that has articles of old collections so everything is cheaper.









After that we will go to a shopping centre called Heron city, that is next to Las Rozas, to have lunch in a Fosters Hollywood, we will have a 15€ menu.



 






In the afternoon we will go to the city centre and go for a walk there to see the city. In the evening, we will have dinner in a resturant called La Esquina del Real and at night we will take the subway and return to the hotel.




  


                                                                   






On Sunday, we are going to the Rey León musical in the Lope de Vega theatre. The tickets cost 49€ per person in the second amphitheatre.

When it finishes we will have lunch a 10€ menu, in a restaurant called Nebraska. Then, we will return to Granada.

Trip to Nerja

We leave from Granada at 8.30. When we arrive we will have a guided visit by the Caves of Nerja. The entrance costs 9 euros.
 
The Caves of Nerja are a series of caverns close to the town of Nerja in the Province of Málaga. The caverns are one of Spain's major tourist attractions. Concerts are regularly held in one of the chambers, which forms a natural amphitheatre.
The caves were re-discovered in modern times on 12 January 1959 by five friends who entered through a narrow sinkhole known as "La Mina". This forms one of the two natural entrances to the cave system. A third entrance was created in 1960 to allow easy access for tourists. The cave is divided into two main parts.

After visiting the caves, we are going to the centre of Nerja and we are having lunch there in a restaurant called La Marina, in which we will have a 15€ menu, that is at 200 metres from the "Balcón de Europa".


The "Balcón de Europa" was built where before was the destroyed fortress in 1812, during the Independece War. It is situated at the end of a large avenue. There, we can see a panoramic view of the Nerja coast.

Finally, we are going for a walk around the city center and we return to Granada at 6.00.

Survey about the Italians

As you know we are participating in an Erasmus Proyect with students from Italy and England. Our teacher did a survey to us asking about what we think about it, if we liked it and if it was easy and useful to communicate with foreigners. We are going to analyse the results of it:

The first question was if we participated in all the activities with enthusiasm.
In this question half of the class agreed with it, a small percentage partially agreed and the rest totally agreed.

Then she asked if we liked working all together and everybody agreed.

In the next question we were asked if we had difficulties to understand the languages (Italian and English). In this case about the half of the class disagreed and the other half had some difficulties so they agreed.

The fourth question was if we had enjoyed it. In this all the class agreed, we all liked spending time with the Italians.

Despite the fact that some people had difficulties with the language, everyone thinks that the activities and assignments we had to do and the use of the language were easy.

About being satisfied with the results of the proyect and feeling confident with the knowledge of the content everyone agrees but a small percentage.

Most of the students think that this project was worthy and that they learned and used new and useful vocabulary.

Then, the teacher asked if working in groups was useful for us and most of the students agreed, they also think that the topics, tasks and assignments were interesting and useful.

The next question was if they were afraid to make  mistakes while using  English and presenting their touristic routes.

The students also agreed that they learnt some Italian expressions and words.

All the students agreed they had to use English to communicate with the Italians because they don't speak Italian.

And this is the result of the survey. The students liked and anjoyed this project and it was a incredible experience.

Hi guys!

We are here again and we are starting the new school year. We are the graduating class and we are really excited! This year we are going to Italy and we are really looking forward to seeing our Italian mates again. This trip to Italy is organised by the European Proyect called "Step to Europe". Although we are really happy to be here again we are also nervous because this year we have to do an important exam at the end of the course called "Selectividad", which is for us to gain admission to the University.

Maybe, when some of the students go to Italy, the teachers will organise a trip to Madrid for the others who don't go . There we will visit the different faculties of the University of Madrid to see how they work and which studies we are interested in. In Madrid there are different Universities, such as the Complutense, the Politécnica, Carlos III,etc...

This is the Complutense University and here the link. --> Click here

This is the Politécnica University and here the link --> Click here

This is the Carlos III University and here the link --> Click here

Leaflet

Click here to see it: Leaflet

This is the last entry of the year :)

Hi! As we created this blog for a school project, today we are going to tell you our opinion about it. In addition, our classmates did an exchange with Italian students so we also are going to tell you something about it.

On one hand, this blog is focused on our studies, ourselves and the European project with the Italians. We think that creating the blog, all the entries we have made during the year, looking for information about universities and different places of our city, creating a brochure and talking with Italian people have helped us to improve our ICT competence, and our level of English. As we have to do everything in English, we have had to look for a lot of vocabulary so, step by step, we have learnt many things in English.

Despite all this, there is one disadvantage: in our school the internet conection is really slow so we cannot work as fast as we could if it was good.

On the other hand, related to the Erasmus project (the project with the Italians), it has been a really good opportunity to know people from another country with other ways of living and other customs. They have shown us many things about them and we also have learnt a bit of Italian. Furthermore, with them we have visited places in our province that even us had never visited before.

Mixing these two projects, we also have learn about a sustainable development and eco-friendly tourism as we had to do a brochure about Loja and Alhama de Granada including natural places to visit that are not contaminated. Moreover, the name of the Erasmus project includes the idea of the importance of protecting the environment as  it is called: STEP to Europe (Stydying and travelling for an Environmetal-eco-friendly Promotion).

Interview!

Here you have an interview we did to a person from Loja.

1. What monuments and buildings of interest has Loja that can attract the visitors?

The tree churches: Santa Catalina, San Gabriel and La Encarnación the citadel, the current townhall that is the old Navarra palace, the Narvaez mausoleum, the Roman bridge, the 25 pipes, the Paraje de los infiernos and the viewpoints.

2. What cultures and nations have ocupied Loja throughout the centuries?

First it was ocupied by the Romans, then by the Arabs and eventually by the Catholic kings. One important Arab man was Aliatar.

3. What are the customs and festivities of Loja and what date are the last ones in?

The festivities are: the Feria Chica from the 4th to the 8th of June, the Feria Grande in the last week of August, San Marcos the 25th of April, La Candelaria, the Romería the 1st of May and el día de la Cruz the 3rd of May.

4. Has Loja an own gastronomy? In that case, what are its most famous products?

Yes. Its famous products are: the sobrehusa, the "Menuillos", the snails, the roscos de Loja, the hornazos y pastelillos de Santa Teresa.

                                                            Hornazo

                                                      Roscos de Loja

                                                         Sobrehusa

                                           Pastelillos de Santa Teresa







5. In agriculture, what quality products are produced in Loja?

The olives, the broad beans, and in general all the irriagation products as Loja has a great extension of irrigation land.

6. Has Loja a great unemployment rate?

The unemployment rate might be lower than the Andalusian average because it has some factories, two services areas, and some hotels, one of them of 5 stars.

Alhama de Granada

Alhama de Granada is a village of Granada, Andalucía. It is known because of its Arab thermal baths that are built over the rests of the Roman baths. The name of it comes from the Roman baths name: al-Hama, which means "bath". These baths are the current spa. This village is also important due to its cliffs that are in the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama natural park.

Monumento natural de Los Tajos

This natural monument consists of a set of canyons and cliffs of sandstone, which owe their current state to Alhama river erosion and rockfalls occurred in several earthquakes.

The cliffs of sandstone can be enjoyed enormously because they combine two very important characteristics; one natural and other ethnographic.Through the rocks of the cliffs there is a medieval path called Paseo Medieval de los Ángeles in which there are old flour mills, canals, and the chapel dedicated to the Virgin of the Angels.The old town of Alhama de Granada is considered as a place of cultural interest.

Aqueduct 

The aqueduct is also known as Roman arc, and was built in the 16th century.

Arab Baths
The Arab baths are one of the best conservated places of the Andalusí era in Alhama. Nowadays they are a spa.
The baths were built in the 13th and 14th centuries, at the end of the Almohade period and at the beginning of the Nazarí. In its construction have been used typical elements of the Almohade period as the pointed horseshoe arches. This baths were a place for some important politicians and  personalities of the Nararí court to relax.

For more information: 958360686

Loja

Riofrío

Riofrío is a town in the western part of the region of Loja and in the municipality of the same name.
In the last years it has become an important tourist spot due not only to the natural environment in which it is located, but also for its important hatchery trout and sturgeon, which has generated a major hotel complex around.
Thanks to the extreme purity of the river and after several decades of research and testing, Riofrío farm has managed to breed the world's largest population of sturgeon in captivity.

Iglesia Mayor

The Iglesia Mayor or the Iglesia Mayor de Santa María de la Encarnación is the principal religious monument of the town. Its construction was started in 1491 and finished in the 17th century. The oldest part has Gothic-Mudejar style. The interior consists of a nave that goes from the Tabernacle to the junction with vaults. The construction of the  most modern part was started in 1620.

Barrio de La Alcazaba and Mirador Arqueológico

It is located in a defensive tower. From it we can see all the northern part of the town: San Francisco's neighborhood, the mount Hacho, la Ermita del Calvario, el Palio de Altar, la Iglesia de San Gabriel, "Cola del Caballo" waterfall and Sierra Nevada.

Introduction to Loja and Alhama de Granada

Here you have some information about Loja and Alhama de Granada, which are the places the itialians are going to visit. In Loja we are going to visit Riofrío, the Iglesia Mayor, Barrio de La Alcazaba and the Mirador Arqueológico. In Alhama de Granada they are going to visit the Monumento Natural de Los Tajos, the dungeons and the Arab baths.

Route

This is what the Italians will do along the day:
Leaving hour (from Granada): 8:15 a.m.
They arrive to Loja in 45 minutes. They will be in Riofrío at 9:00 a.m.
They will go to a excursion to the river's spring. (The prize is 50 € per group). The excursion lasts 2 hours. They will finish it at 1:00 p.m.
They will go to have lunch to the Mesón Riofrío, in San Isidro Square.
At 3:30 p.m. they will go to Alhama de Granada.
They will arrive at 4:15 p.m.
They will do an excursion to the Monumento Natural de Los Tajos. The excursion will last 1h 30 minutes.
Finally, they will visit the aqueduct and the Arab baths.
At 7:00 p.m. they will return to Granada.
Arrival at 8:00 p.m. approximately.

Interview: tourism in Granada

INTERVIEW: TOURISM in GRANADA (ANDALUCÍA)

Visit of Istituto Tecnologico Económico

“Tambosi Battisti”

13-23 abril 2015

1. Which is the most visited province in Andalusia? Why do you think it’s so?

¿Cuál es la provincial más visitada en Andalucía? ¿Por qué cree usted que es así?

2. Taking into consideration in Spain/Andalusia, what percentage has Granada got for tourism?

Tomando en consideración España ¿qué porcentaje de inversión recibe Granada para el turismo?

3. How much is invested by the regional government/provincial government/ town council/ in tourism in Granada?

¿Cuánto invierte el gobierno regional/la diputación/el ayuntamiento en turismo?

4. What are you doing and what would you do to improve the tourism in Granada?

¿Qué se está hacienda ahora y qué se podría hacer para mejorar el turismo en Granada?

5. Is there any environmentally-friendly project in Andalusia/Granada province/Granada?

¿Hay algún proyecto de turismo sostenible en Andalucía/la provincia de Granada/la ciudad de Granada?

6. Which environmentally-friendly routes can Diputación/ Townhall/Junta de Andalucía offer?

¿Qué rutas sostenibles puede ofrecer la Diputación/el Ayuntamiento/la Junta de Andalucía?

7. Has Granada got many green spaces for tourists to visit?

¿Tiene Granada muchos espacios verdes que puedan visitar los turistas?

8. Are there any important events in Granada between April 13^th and 23^rd in Granada?

¿Hay algunos acontecimientos importantes en Granada entre el 13 y el 23 de abril?

9. How can cheap cost of lodging affect hotels or the city?

¿Cómo puede afectar un coste barato del alojamiento a los hoteles o a la ciudad?

10. How many jobs does tourism create in Granada/in the province/Andalusia?

¿Cuántos trabajos crea el turismo en Granada/en la provincial/Andalucía?

11. How many people visit the Alhambra approximately every week?

¿Cuántas personas aproximadamente visitan la Alhambra a la semana?

12. Is sustainable tourism more expensive than traditional one?

¿Es el turismo sostenible más caro que el tradicional?

Questions!

Hi everyone! Today we have to do some questions to some touristic institutions.

These are the different institutions:

-Granada townhall, "Junta de Andalucía" tourist enterprise "turismo Andalucía", "Diputación" tourist    delegation:

    1.Taking into consideration the tourism in Spain, what percentage does Granada have?
    2.What nationalities and ages are most of the tourists that come here?

-Hospitality and tourism Businessmen Association:
 
    1. What dishes are the most popular to taste by the tourists?
    2. Is Granada well-known because of its grastronomic tourism?

-Alhambra Trust:
 
   1. In what season come more tourists?
   2. How many people visit the Alhambra per year?

-Sierra Nevada National Park:
 
   1. How much time do the tourists usually stay in Sierra Nevada to enjoy it?
   2.What difference is there between the number of tourists in summer and winter?

Returning to the route about Loja and Alhama de Granada, we have to do a travel brochure about this two villages where we are going to include the itinerary the Italians are going to follow and some information about them. Also we have contacted with a person of Loja, who is the teacher's cousin, who will explain us some aspects about that village's history and important monuments. We were going to call him but we couldn't because of an unexpected event. See you soon!

Hello everybody! As we are doing an exchange with Italian teenagers of our age, last friday we communicated with them by Skype. We presented ourselves to them and so did they. They asked to us many questions about our city, Granada, and we were explaining them what are they going to do and visit when they are here. We also told them what is the weather like here and they were very happy because it is very warm. We are very excited to receive them as they to come here. We will keep informing you when they come.

Photography, my hobby

Hi! Today I'm going to speak about one of my hobbies: Photography.

Photography is a science, art and practice of creating durable images.Durable images are created by recording light. If we haven't got light we can't make photos. The light is the base of photography. We can control how much light enter into the len, for that we use the diaphragm. Diaphragm is a thin opaque structure with an opening at its center; the role of the diaphragm is to stop the passage of light, except for the light passing through the aperture. When we open more the diaphragm, the aperture is bigger and enter more light, so the image is going to be more enlightened. And when we close more the diaphragm, the aperture is smaller and enter less light, so the image is going to be darker.

Other factor that controls the light is the flash, we use it when the scene is dark and we need light to iluminate it. Other thing which we have to know about the diaphragm is the shutter speed. It is the length of time a camera's shutter is open when taking a photograph. For example, in a short time, the shutter keeps open very little time letting less light to the photocell. With them, it's achieved freeze or reduce significally the movement. In a longer time, the shutters keeps open.

It is a great hobbie and I recommend you!

Swimming, a great hobby

Hello everyone! Today I'm going to talk about one of my hobbies: swimming. Swimming is a individualized and colective sport. It is individual because you have to compete alone to other people but it is also colective because you train with other people and cheer and motivate each other. I have practised this sport for seven years in a swimming club called CDU. There I met many people and we are very good friends.

 In swimming the are four styles: freestyle (which is the one I do the best), backstroke, butterfly and breaststroke. The Spanish organisation of competitions, chapionships,etc. is like this: There are provicincial competitions in every community. This competitions are only to take times and do "Mínimas". A "mínima" is a time that you have to do to be able to go to a championship; this is an average time of the fifty best people times. If you don't have a "mínima" you can not go to a championship; so the provincial competitions are only oppotunities to do "mínima". In the case of Andalucía there are Andalusian "mínimas". To go to the Spanish championship there are "mínimas" for that championship and so on in the rest of the championships but as the territory increase the "mínima" is more difficult. There is a concrete number of provincial competitions so everybody has the same oppotunities.

In my case, I only go to provincial competitions and trophies (another type of competitions which are organised by the clubs, not by the Swimming federation) because I am not as motivated to do a "mínima" as my friends. I only train to keep fit and to have fun and see my friends. I train three o four days a week, although a should train six, during two or three hours depending on the day.

So, just to finish, I want to say that swimming is a funny sport and practising it you meet new people and make friends, but it takes a lot of time, so in high levels at school it doens't allows you to go trainning everyday.

Here it is my delicious where you can see some links related to swimming and my club.

Click here

Hi, today we are going to show you two of our hobbies. We are uploading two entries, one about swimming and the other about photography. The first is Luisa's hobby and the second is María's hobby. We hope you enjoy it!

Good afternoon! Today we have found some information about the history of the places where we'll visit, such as Iglesia Mayor de la Encarnación, Mirador Arqueológico... and we have found some phone numbers of them. Finally we have completed the email for an habitant from Loja. See you next week!

Hello everyone! Today we have searched the most important Alhama's places and we have written an email to a person who knows a lot of Loja to know if he could explain a bit of it when we go there with the italian people. See you next week!

Hi! Today we have planned the route the Italians are going to take when they come. First, they are going to go to Loja and visit it and Riofrío. Then they are going to have lunch in a typical restaurant. After that, they are going to take the bus and go to Alhama to visit it. They are going to do a route by the country side in a Natural Park. Next week we will keep on organising the trip and improving it. See you!!