The Spanish department eagerly set off with 31 A level students to Santa Eulalia, just outside  Barcelona where our pupils spent one week with host families as part of our exchange.  Aquinas is linked with IES Vall del Tenes, Santa Eulalia.  Our pupils have benefited enormously from this strong partnership over the last 9 years. We visited the works of Gaudí, which included the Casa Pedrera and the breathtaking Sagrada Familia.  It was fascinating to see how this church changes and evolves each time we visit.  It will be fully completed in 2026 which will be worth the wait. One day was spent learning about the genius artist that was Salvador Dalí, with a visit to the museum in Figueres and to the Castillo de Gala, Púbol.  For the sports aficionados, the trip to Camp Nou was a taste of the magic that is FC Barcelona.  This was combined with a trip to Las Arenas, the new shopping centre in Barcelona which was formally the bullring.  A truly spectacular building with magnificent views from the roof of the entire city.  We also went to el Palacio de la Música which is a post-modernist building which was designed by the Catalan architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. We also got the chance to enjoy the Costa Brava and typical villages such as Roses, where the pupils got to spend time with their host partners whilst enjoying the lovely beach there.  We look forward to welcoming our partners to Belfast in March 2013.