IES Field Trip - Cantabria!

Doing two summer sessions with IES Abroad was definitely the right move for me because I got to go on two field trips! I really enjoyed both of them, Porto, Portugal and Cantabria, Spain. Cantabria was such a blast. Going with my IES Abroad classmates was the most fun part of it all! I had Ellery to take fun pictures with, Sawyer to teach me rugby moves and do handstands on the beach with, and Spenser to keep the energy high with his silly vernacular and niche references. When we first arrived, it was rainy and we had to walk in the cold to go to dinner. The vibes were not the best, but Spenser still made me laugh and I was able to really enjoy the rest of the trip because of his encouragement. The next day, we started our adventure by visiting Gaudi’s El Capricho, a beautiful house constructed by Antoni Gaudi in 1885. I am a big Gaudi fan, and enjoyed every bit of the modernly decorated property. We got to go inside and toured a room full of plants, then a room full of music. Luckily the staff permitted Sawyer to play the piano, which drew in a big crowd united by music in a room engineered to amplify the sound. After that we walked past a Gothic Cathedral, the university in Comillas, and had a big lunch. We ate two HUGE paellas and also enjoyed some salad and bread. After lunch we had the best time on the beach! Sawyer and Spenser taught me some rugby moves, and we did some swimming races! Later we found a hidden beach and got the group to relocate over there. We climbed up some rocks and jumped into the ocean, and then body surfed back to the shore a couple of times before it was time to go back to Salamanca for the next week of classes and activities. Overall it was an amazing trip and I had a good time with the IES Salamanca staff and my classmates.