Aquinas Grammar

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At the end of term my mum and I visited the city of Salamanca, which was my prize for coming second in La Ruta Quetzal. It was our first time in the Spanish city.

We left Belfast on the morning of the 29^th of June where it was raining heavily and we couldn’t wait to get away from the cold, wet weather in exchange for some sunshine and heat. When we finally arrived after the long journey we were met by our guide Paula who picked us up from the airport and brought us to the beautiful city of Salamanca.

We were starving after the journey and as we arrived late at night we had just enough time enjoy tasting a few traditional Spanish tapas in the Van Dyck neighbourhood of Salamanca before we checked into the beautiful hotel Parador de Salamanca for a good night’s sleep.

After a good rest we were excited for the day that lay ahead. We went into the centre of Salamanca for the first time on Saturday morning and we were shown around the magnificent city. It was a day filled with history; we visited many historic buildings and monuments including La Plaza Mayor, La Casa de las Conchas, the two Cathedrals, the university and el huerto de Calixto y Melibea. We were also very fortunate as we got to go up on a lift to see the university’s façade as part of a restoration programme which was only running for a limited period of time. It was an incredible experience.

We also went to a restaurant called Santa Eulalia where we tried many Spanish dishes including octopus and kangaroo. At the end of the day we were given a couple of hours to relax and enjoy the city and we even got time to do some shopping in the streets of Zamora and Toro.

Sunday was a day to rest and take in the beautiful city and the experience. In the morning we took advantage of the warm climate by relaxing by the pool and going for a swim. During the evening we went to the Plaza Mayor before going back to the hotel for dinner and there was an amazing atmosphere as everyone was getting ready to watch Spain play in the final of the European Cup. We watched Spain’s emotional victory in the hotel and the celebrations were incredible; everyone was in very high spirits when the final whistle was blown!

On Monday the day finally came and we sadly had to leave Salamanca. We were very tired after the trip but extremely grateful as it was an incredible experience.

Amaia Moore (Second prize Ruta Quetzal UK 2012)

SALAMANCA

Al acabar el curso mi madre y yo visitamos Salamanca, como premio por haber quedado segunda en la Ruta Quetzal.

Era nuestra primera visita a esta ciudad castellana.

Salimos de Belfast la mañana del viernes 29 de junio con mucha lluvia y muchas ganas. El viaje fue largo y cuando llegamos a Salamanca con nuestra guía Paula descubrimos una asombrosa ciudad.

Después de tan largo viaje nada mejor que unas tapas por la zona Van Dyck de la ciudad, sin tiempo para mucho más, descansamos en el magnífico hotel Parador de Salamanca.

El sábado fue un día para la historia, después de un buen desayuno con chocolate y churros, descubrimos, entre otros monumentos, la plaza Mayor, la Casa de las Conchas, las Catedrales, la universidad y el huerto de Calixto y Melibea. Lo que más nos impresionó fue poder subir en el “ascensorum”, un ascensor provisional que ayuda en las tareas de restauración de la fachada de la universidad.

Descubrimos también su gastronomía en el restaurante Santa Eulalia, donde comimos entre otras cosas canguro y pulpo. Al final del día tuvimos un par de horas para ir de compras por las calles Zamora y Toro.

El domingo fue un día para el descanso y la emoción. Por la mañana nos relajamos y nos dimos el primer baño del verano en la piscina del hotel, por la tarde disfrutamos toda la emoción de ver la final de la copa de Europa, en la cual España revalidó el título de campeona de Europa, la celebración fue asombrosa.

El lunes llego la hora de volver a Belfast con mucha tristeza y cansancio pero satisfechas.

Amaia Moore (segundo premio Ruta Quetzal 2012)