A group of German students enjoy the free activities offered by our Spanish school

This week, a group of 23 German students has had the opportunity to enjoy the intense programme of actitivies that our school prepared for them. Their week-long stay allowed them to get to know Bilbao and its surroundings, as well as learning Spanish in our school in its familiar and friendly atmosphere.

Arriving from Germany one Saturday, none of them wanted to miss the activity scheduled for the next day, the climb up Pagasarri. This mountain is one of the emblems of Bilbao and offers magnificent views across the city on a clear day. The intrepid mountaineerers didn´t want to let the small about of drizzle bother them, and the short burst of heavier rain made them feel even more integrated into the city!

The sun, which luckily shined brightly over the next few days, also allowed the German students to take a trip to the beach, wander along the coast and enjoy a few much-needed moments of relaxation. There was no shortage of cultural visits, including ascending the lift to the top of the famous Transporter Bridge in Portugalete,to heights of 50m, visiting the famous modern art museum the Guggenheim and having a look around the Vistas Alegre bullring here in Bilbao, hailed as one of Spain´s most important bullrings.

There was also a gastronomic element to their stay, thanks to a visit to the Seafood Festival, taking place currently until the 15th of May in connection with the Maritime Museum. In addition, the students enjoyed tasting a variety of pintxos - Basque tapas - to end their week with a nice taste in their mouths!

Coinciding with the week-long stay of the German students, we also had an outrageously happy Japanese student here with us. Minori, as she was called, participated in each and every one of the proposed activities, as well as extra activities offered personally by members of our teaching staff, so determined was she to practice her Spanish. Minori more than happily attended a conference, poetry recital, theatre performance and also went to the theatre, all within her short week´s stay and in addition to all the other activities. She somehow even had time to participate in a guided tour of a winery, with an included wine tasting in the Rioja Alavesa region, just an hour and a half from Bilbao.

It was a truly intense week for all those involved, and all students returned to their home countries with smiles on their faces and the sense of having truly got to to the essence of Bilbao, a vibrant city full of life. They were able to improve their Spanish and enjoy the Basque way of life through the huge range of free activities offered by our school.