BAKER STREET INTERNATIONAL 2016 spanish life and lengua 01 VALLADOLID

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1 BAKER STREET INTERNATIONAL 2016 spanish life and lengua 01 VALLADOLID THE CITY Valladolid has a population of some 300,000 inhabitants and an average temperature of 26 degrees during the day in July. The city is situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, 200km and just 45 minutes North of Madrid by High Speed Train. in 1469 it became as the capital of the Kingdom of Castile and later of united Spain. Christopher Columbus died in Valladolid in 1506, while authors Francisco de Quevedo and Miguel de Cervantes lived and worked in the city. The city was briefly the capital of Habsburg Spain under Phillip III between 1601 and The city has numerous cultural, recreational and social options and offers a safe environment for incoming students, with good urban transit services, an open, welcoming attitude to visitors and our organisation is fully supported by the Tourism Department of City Hall. It is said that Valladolid has the best spoken Spanish in Spain and the locals are proud to help language learners improve and practice during their stay here. LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL IMMERSION FOR TEENAGERS, VALLADOLID SPAIN Groups: Chaperones: Dates: Included: 12 students 1 free per 15 paying students Year round Transfers to and from Madrid airport 10 nights family homestay 4 nights full board residential accommodation in Madrid Spanish classes - Monday to Friday Afternoon activities everyday except Sunday 1 full day excursion per week All entrance fees All meals

2 BAKER STREET INTERNATIONAL 2016 spanish life and lengua 02 ACCOMMODATION: Spanish host families. All families are screened for approval before joining the programme and whilst they may not all live in the city, they must be no more than 40 minutes away from the teaching centre, using public transport. All will have children of similar ages to our visiting group and we encourage the Spanish host brothers and sisters to join in and take part in all the activities we organise. The families will offer assistance to visiting students to help them enjoy the visit and will offer full board and life as part of the family, with a 24 hour helpline, in case of any doubts. Rooms may be single, or shared with the host brother or sister. Visiting students are expected and encouraged to join in family life and to practice their Spanish as much as possible. Students will be provided with a local travel card and are not expected to pay anything during their stay, as all activities, meals, entrance fees, transfers and so on, are covered. CLASSES: Every morning from 9:30 and 13:30 (different levels, max. 15 per class). Classes will be given by qualified teachers of Spanish and groups will be split into different levels on arrival. VALLADOLID: Community work, cultural immersion and leisure activities. Apart from language classes, we encourage students to immerse themselves in the traditions and culture of the city and the region. We are proud to work with local children and offer them the chance to practice English with our American students during the community work sessions. During these sessions, we will organise activities and materials, but the onus is on the students themselves to take part, supervise and encourage the children to join in. VISITS AND ACTIVITIES: All entrance tickets and fees are included in the programme price. Transport within the city will be on public transport and any activities which include travelling outside the city will be by chartered bus, exclusively for our use. All activities and excursiones will be accompanied by at least 2 of our own staff and may include fieldwork, where students are set tasks to complete by their teacher.

3 BAKER STREET INTERNATIONAL 2016 spanish life and lengua 03 PROGRAMME DAY ONE: ARRIVAL Meet and greet: Spanish families come to collect students AFTERNOON Valladolid Centre: the first day the students will enjoy of a walking tour through Valladolid s downtown, so they get orientated and discover the beautiful places of the city and its cultural and historical landmarks. They will also learn how to use the city's public transit system, when it is better to walk and where to buy essential items. Because of the heat at that time of year, we will also learn why it's not unusual to see children out at 11pm with their parents and why the Spanish take a Siesta! DAY TWO: AFTERNOON Sculpture Museum. The city's most famous artistic centre, which requires an explanation beforehand, as the wooden sculptures depict biblical scenes, as imagined by 15/16th Century artists, in full detail. The museum is quite unique and will involve fieldwork, plus a visit to the huge San Pablo Church, just next door. DAY THREE (SATURDAY) Full Day Visit to Salamanca. The chance to visit one of Spain's historial jewels, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with Spain's most beautiful Square, famous University and Cathedral and bustling student life. Include a visit to the Cathedral tower and Museum. DAY FOUR (SUNDAY) FULL DAY: WITH FAMILY DAY FIVE: / English classes AFTERNOON: Community Service The chance to work with and interact with Spanish children on a vacation playgroup programme based on English and sport. Excellent opportunity to practice Spanish. Visiting students will be encouraged to come with a presentation to show the local students and take part in pair work sessions to learn about each other and from each other. DAY SIX: / English classes AFTERNOON: Community Service Today we will meet a group of refugee children from the Sahara, who visit Valladolid every summer and are housed with local families. We will take them to the Science Museum and give them the chance to play and discover.

4 BAKER STREET INTERNATIONAL 2016 spanish life and lengua 04 DAY SEVEN: Visit to Peñafiel, old typical Spanish town with a visit to the ship-shaped castle, the Plaza Mayor and discover the features of Castille's most famous wine-growing capital. AFTERNOON: Visit to the beach and afternoon sports DAY EIGHT: AFTERNOON: Community Service A visit to Renedo, a local village, where we will meet local kids and organise diverse activities for them in English, workshops, games, a movie, songs and sports. DAY NINE: AFTERNOON: Casa de Colon and Santa Cruz Palace. Discover the Santa Cruz Palace, home to the Catholic Kings, before visiting Casa Colon, home and resting place of Christopher Columbus. DAY TEN (SATURDAY) FULL DAY: FREE DAY WITH FAMILY EVENING: Spanish course and Farewell Merienda and Party! We all get together, kids, teachers and families to enjoy a typical merienda, a sort of Spanish picnic, to recount our experiences and enjoy the open air. We will then take a dusk stroll around Valladolid one last time, before going home to pack. DAY ELEVEN (SUNDAY) Day trip to Segovia, Alcazar, Aqueduct, cathedral and Madrid Another World Heritage Site, the city of Segovia is halfway between Valladolid and Madrid and is home to the world famous Roman Aqueduct, right in the city centre. We will learn about when and why it was built here and then go on to the Cathedral and Alcazar, Segovia's other two mediaeval jewels. From there we travel on to Madrid and after arrival at our accommodation, there will be time for a short evening stroll, after dinner. DAY TWELVE: Madrid Orientation; Visit Plaza Mayor After a short talk about the city, orientation about the public transit system and what we are going to see, we will board the metro a make for the heart of the old city, the Plaza Mayor, Spain's most famous public square and we will walk on to the Plaza Oriente and the see Royal Palace and then make back towards the Puerta del Sol, which is the Spanish equivalent of Times Square. Lots to see and do. DAY THIRTEEN: Prado Museum Retiro Park Palacio de Cristal First thing in the morning we will visit the Prado Museum with the chance to see masterpieces by the likes of Goya and Velazquez at one of the world's leading painting collections. Straight after, we will

5 BAKER STREET INTERNATIONAL 2016 spanish life and lengua 05 head off to the Retiro Park, Madrid's largest open space and see another gallery, the Palacio de Cristal, which is quite charming and rather enigmatic. DAY FOURTEEN: Reina Sofia Museum and free afternoon On the morning of our last full day, we will visit the Reina Sofia Museum, with its astounding collection of Modern Art, including Picasso's Guernica. From there, we will walk up through Lavapies, with its bohemian ambience and back to Gran Via, where you will be able to buy souvenirs and do all those last minute things before leaving Madrid DAY FIFTEEN: Morning Transfer to Airport