On the 2nd of April 2013 the Transition Year students went on their annual trip to Barcelona along with 5 teachers. We departed the school at 11am on Tuesday morning. We flew Ryanair from Dublin arriving in Barcelona at 7:50pm. For some students it was their first time on an airplane so the bus trip on the way to the airport was full of excitement and nerves. Our accommodation was Hotel Rey Don Jaime 1, not too far from La Rambla. La Rambla is the most famous street in Barcelona. The only item on the agenda for Wednesday was “Portaventura”, Spain’s largest Theme Park, located near Salou, about an hour south of the city. The weather was beautiful. We all had an amazing time and most of us conquered our fear of heights by going on the largest roller coaster in Europe.
On Thursday we went on a nice walk to Parc Guell also known as Gaudi Park. The park contained amazing stone structures, stunning tiling and fascinating buildings and breath-taking views. It also contains the longest bench in the world which is shaped like a lizard, covered in a mosaic of coloured tiles.
Thursday afternoon we went on the ‘Fat Bike Tour’ of Barcelona. The tour was comfortable and the bikes were easy to ride. We got very useful tips and advice about what to do and see while in Barcelona. The tour followed carefully planned routes, avoiding busy streets and riding mainly on bike paths and boardwalks, down Gothic alleyways and through parks. It was a fun and informative outdoor experience. On Thursday night, we went to La Vaca Paca. La Vaca Paca is an “all you can eat buffet” restaurant serving international cuisine with a great emphasize on Mediterranean culinary delights, with a wide variety of over 80 delicious dishes on the buffet tables. They happily satisfied our taste buds. For just €10 it was incredible value.
On Friday morning, we got to explore the area around Plaza de Catalyuna and do some last minute shopping. At 2 o’clock we departed Hotel Rey Don Jaime 1 to start our journey home. We arrived in Dublin airport at 6 o’clock. We stopped at Super Mac in Portloaise for the last meal of our journey. We were back at the school at half past 10.
Ms. O’Connor said that: “I had a great time. The students were on their best behaviour. The weather was stunning in Barcelona. I would go back there again. The activity I enjoyed most was the Fat Bike Tour”.
Lianne Malone and Robert O’Donnell, students from TY had this to say, “Barcelona was a brilliant experience. It was the best part of TY so far. It was great craic”.
Barcelona was a great place to see and it was great to get away from the cold and wet Irish weather.
By Shannon Stokes and Jenny Maher.
