Last 2nd of
November was a different day. We broke
the school routine.
The day before I didn´t sleep very well. I was thinking about the trip the
next day: Valladolid. I met my classmates at 8.30, took the bus, said good
morning to our teachers (Teresa, Geography; Gema, Music; and Luis Clavero,
Biology) and was ready to start the trip. The journey lasted one hour, more or
less. Valladolid is 112 km away from Salamanca but there is a dual carriageway
and driving is easy.
When
we got to Valladolid, we went for a short walk in the city. The bus left us
near Campogrande and then we tried to explore the centre of the city until we
went to Cultural Centre Miguel Delibes.
The city of Valladolid
The province of Valladolid
is located in the interior of Spain, in the centre of the Castile-León
region. Its capital is the city of Valladolid. The province of Valladolid is
also famous for being a land of castles. There are over 30 in total,
including the castles of Peñafiel, Íscar and Medina del Campo.Valladolid is
also an outstanding wine-producing area: as well as the famous Ribera del
Duero wines, there are four other wines with the local Designation of Origin.
The gastronomic specialities include a range of stewed pulses, sweet
confectionery and wild mushroom dishes.
The historic centre of
Valladolid conserves an important monumental and architectural heritage,
particularly comprising noble houses and religious buildings. As the
city has undergone significant urban growth in recent decades, Valladolid
today offers a wide range of leisure and cultural options, with cinemas,
theatres and museums, such as the National Sculpture Museum in
the College of San Gregorio. This splendid building in the
Flemish Gothic style, one of the most outstanding constructions in
Valladolid, with carved figures by artists like Alonso Berruguete and
Gregorio Fernández. The Museum of Spanish Contemporary Art in
the Patio Herreriano –a cloister in the old Monastery of San Benito– contains
over 800 20th-century paintings and sculptures.
Adapted from http://www.spain.info/
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At midday, we were at Miguel Delibes Centre, a modern cultural centre
with auditorium, theatre and rooms for exhibitons. We went to enjoy the concert
Vox Ballenae. Al first we talked a
lot so our teacher told us to keep quiet. I enjoyed the play a lot. I love
music and concerts drive me crazy. The more concerts I go to, the more I enjoy.
In this play the author mixed music, theatre, dance and video.
After the play, we had free time for lunch. Some of us had our sandwich
and drinks near the cultural centre. But other classmates crossed the road and
went to Carrefour´s restaurant and had a spectacular lunch with eggs, steak and
fish. Good idea! Next time I will try it!
After lunch, we took the bus and went to Peñafiel, a village where most
people work with wine. However this village is famous because it has a
beautiful castle at the top of the city. You can see it in the photo.
Peñafiel
The town is full of deep excavated
underground caves which were traditionally used to store the wine because of
the constant temperature they kept all year around. These caves have chimney
vents for ventilation and to evacuate the gases generated by the fermentation
of the wine. These chimney vents dot the landscape in and around the town and
the castle.
Peñafiel was a very
important centre in the Middle Ages, as evidenced by the fact that it had up
to 19 churches.
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We went up to the
Castle, at the top of the city. The castle can be seen from kilometers away. We
had a guided visit and we could go up to the highest tower and enjoyed the
wiew.
Then I visited the Wine
Museum of Valladolid. The castle hosts this Museum. There we learnt about the
history and culture of the well-known wine called Ribera de Duero. We learnt the
winemaking process. Adults usually taste the wine here, but not children like
us.
When I finished the
visit to the Museum, we came back to Salamanca. Some of us were tired. In the
bus we tried to have a rest with the music of our mobiles, but it was quite
difficult.
I think the best parts of the journey was the concert, the Castle and …
my classmates.
Teachers, thanks. Where are we going next time?
