Jamie What summer experiences can Spanish teachers have to help them continue to develop… without feeling like you’re working? Take a trip! This summer I am fortunate enough to have taken a trip to Spain to visit family. I am eating well, drinking well, and learning so much! Travel is not without it’s misadventures, but there are a lot of fun adventures to have as well!
Misadventure #1
Our first summer experience in Spain was a day trip from Madrid to Ávila. We inadvertently filled the car up with regular gas… when it needs diesel! It was “no bueno”, but though this was a big misadventure, we were still fortunate in many ways. Somehow, we made it to the next exit and found a mechanic in a tiny town. He was too busy to do the work that was needed to repair the car, but within a half hour, a tow truck came and found a shop in Ávila that could do the work while we visited the city! A really nice taxista took the rest of us that didn’t fit in the tow truck, and despite this setback, we were able to have a really nice day!
Ávila, España
About an hour to the northwest of Madrid is Ávila, a small city famous for it’s medieval walls. For a fee, you can walk atop the walls were the soldiers from the 1000’s to the 1400’s guarded the city from invaders! It’s too beautiful for words, so instead, I will show you! Though Spain has many walled cities, this is the place where the walls remain the most in tact and complete.
There was so much ambiente in Ávila! We had a great walk on the wall, followed by a delicious meal with a tinto de verano. We visited La Catedral de Ávila too. The kids tried un helado de turrón and we of course bought some yemas to take home!
The added bonus of these summer experiences in Spain is that because of the variety of different situations we had to navigate- I was able to practice Spanish in ways I normally don’t while I’m teaching. Mechanic vocabulary, asking if we could use the same tickets to walk the walls back in the direction we came, having the kids order their meals and ice cream… all of this was awesome for everyone!
Summer Experiences in Spain Vocabulary
I hope all of my colegas have the chance to visit a Spanish-speaking country often! Vale la pena, for sure!
Tow truck: La grua
Tall walls: Las murallas
Summer Drink: Tinto de verano (made with red wine and lemon soda)
Yemas de Ávila: Egg yolk cakes: made with sugar, lemon, cinammon and egg yolks… super sweet dessert famous in this part of Spain!
