This week we decided to do something different and we went on a night visit to Poble Espanyol!

Located on Montjuïc Hill, Poble Espanyol is a true open-air museum that transports visitors through the rich culture, architecture, and traditions of Spain’s diverse regions. Built for the 1929 International Exposition, this picturesque complex recreates the streets and squares of a typical Spanish village, with its houses, craft workshops, restaurants, and cultural spaces.

So, without leaving Barcelona we have been able to observe the different architectures of all the corners of Spain. All this while enjoying good company, reinforcing our Spanish and discovering a new part of the city.

Be sure to check out the venue’s website as they offer different activities and festivals every week. We can’t wait to find out what’s coming up next, can you?

When we approached it by train we could already begin to make out the characteristic and unique landscape of this very special mountain. As we went up with the Cable Car we could appreciate the height of the Monastery!

This convent houses and protects the Virgin of Montserrat, popularly known as ‘La Moreneta’. Legend has it that in the year 880 some shepherds saw a great light coming down from the sky and when they went to the cave that was illuminated they found the Virgin. This led to the construction of a chapel and since then people have been making pilgrimages to visit this iconic brown Virgin.

With our visit we were able to enter the Monastery and get a close-up view of the Moreneta, who is today the icon of Catalan culture. Then we climbed up to the Cross of Sant Miquel, from where there are unique views!

We were able to enjoy a different kind of day, disconnecting from the big city and discovering new landscapes and icons. When do we come back?

Since its construction in 1640, this castle has been the scene of many important events in Catalan history. It was from here that the city of Barcelona was bombed during the wars and revolutions. We were able to better understand and imagine these episodes thanks to the visit to the museum, which has so many audiovisual archives.

Today, thanks to its strategic location, we have the opportunity to enjoy an amazing view of Barcelona, its port and its coastline.

We had a wonderful day, enjoying the sun, the views and learning more about the history of Catalonia. Why don’t you join us next time?

As you may have guessed, Linguaschools isn’t just about teachers. There’s a whole team of people working to ensure that our students have the best possible experience at our centres, from the moment they book to the last day of class.

That’s why it’s really important for us to be a team and have some moments to get to know each other and bond, not only because of our passion for the world of education. In this case, competing in an escape room in different groups and having drinks together afterwards on a casual Friday was enough to make a difference.

We are now fully recharged after the activity. We are all looking forward to seeing each and every one of you at Linguaschools!

Correfoc usually takes place during the fiestas of a city or neighbourhood, mainly in Catalonia. But it has also spread to the Valencian Country, the Balearic Islands and northern Catalonia. In the case of Barcelona, almost every festival in its different districts (Gothic, Gracia, Sants, Barceloneta…) has a Correfoc in its programme of activities.

But how did this idea come about? As you may have guessed, the origin of the famous correfocs comes from the devil’s dance. The first written references date back to 1150. It was the first time that something similar to a correfoc was graphically demonstrated. Furthermore, during the wedding banquet of Ramón Berenguer IV and Princess Peronella, this performance took place. Later on, between the 14th and 15th centuries, there is considerable documentation of the participation of “devils” in various celebrations.

The term “correfoc” appears for the first time in writing in the 1980 programme of activities for the Mercè festival in Barcelona, to describe this fiery parade of devils and dragons. That’s how this form of fire parade was born, which has now spread in an extraordinary way.

Nowadays, the correfoc is one of the most important and popular elements of Barcelona’s Festa Major. The people of Barcelona love to jump with the devils who follow them in their infernal dance, while the streets buzz with joy and excitement, amidst smoke, flames and sparks. Don’t you think that our students would not want to miss out on such an experience?

Last Saturday we hiked in La Garrotxa, a natural park with 3 ancient volcanoes! It’s the best example of volcanic landscape on the Iberian Peninsula. It has about forty volcanic cones and more than 20 lava flows. We had a picnic in one of them!

It was also a very important area in the Middle Ages and there are many medieval villages in the area (such as Santa Pau) that we highly recommend you visit, at least to spend a few hours walking around and enjoying the charm and fresh air.

Then we went to Besalú, a medieval village whose perfectly preserved architecture takes you back to the time of princesses and knights. It has a medieval historic-artistic complex that is considered one of the best preserved in Catalonia!

The impressive bridge leads visitors into the town, with its stone houses, unique medieval Jewish baths, atmospheric squares and numerous shops selling local handicrafts. There are also cosy restaurants where we decided to enjoy a fantastic lunch of typical local produce.

It’s amazing to get on a bus and completely change the landscape around you in an hour, so we’ll definitely be doing this again!

This artist was born in Figueres on May 11, 1904, and as you should already know, he is one of the most international Spanish painters in history. The creator of a very personal and extravagant style, Dalí would end up becoming a master of the surrealist style and an icon of contemporary painting.

Peculiar and quirky, Salvador Dalí once said “Surrealism is me.” A categorical statement but one that makes sense since the Catalan painter is one of the greatest exponents of this artistic trend.

His characteristic style is determined by an indisputable technical perfection, present in every detail, through which he expresses his peculiar and disturbing universe. An unconscious world that he captured like no other, making him a painter of dreams and one of the most representative artists of the 20th century.

Although his prolific work focuses primarily on painting, he also explored sculpture, film, stage design, jewellery and costume design, writing and even created his own creative technique, the Paranoid-Critical Method based on consciously extracting elements from the world. The interior of the paranoid, which the artist captured in double images through which he represented objects that became other objects, thus associating things that were not rationally linked.

Therefore, entering the Dalí Theater Museum (created by himself) means entering a world of his own, being able to enjoy these creations, where the artist concentrated all his artistic and cultural wealth and all his wisdom. All the pieces of work there become windows to the mind. They contain many secrets which are not expressed in words, but which are there and which we can see and interpret if we look closely. At the same time, symbols can mean certain things to large groups of people. So, although they are windows into the artist’s mind, symbols are also a mirror of our own universe of meaning as viewers. Don’t you think it’s incredible?

So we decided to go from the school to the modernist enclosure of Sant Pau for a very special walk. Until the 14th of January, this place is transformed into a fairytale landscape, with Christmas lights, impressive illuminated vegetation and creative illuminated figures. Everyone can enjoy a pleasant and romantic evening on a 1.5 kilometre circuit.

In any case, it offered a slow break from the hustle and bustle of Christmas and drew the eye to the contemplative world at the most beautiful time of the year.

While the roots of Sitges’ artistic reputation date back to the late 19th century, when Spanish painter Santiago Rusiñol took up residence there during the summer, the town became a center of the 1960s counterculture in mainland Spain, then still under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, and was known as “Ibiza in miniature”.

Nowadays, it is a popular destination for gay and lesbian travellers, having become one of the most gay-friendly places in the world.

Today, the economy of Sitges is based on tourism and culture. Almost 35% of the approximately 26,000 inhabitants come from the Netherlands, the UK, France and Scandinavia, and their children attend international schools in the area.
But it is also famous for its annual carnival and its 17 beaches!

We’re gonna to wait until February for the first one, but this weekend we got the opportunity to take a walk around the town with our activity leader Júlia, who showed us the beaches and the most interesting points of a village full of modernism.

In the first hour the teacher explained the pinch technique and then each of us made a piece (bowl, pot, ashtray, etc.) and then painted it.

When the class was over, the pieces were left in the workshop to be fired. We’ll have to go back to the studio in a couple of weeks to collect them and we’re so excited to see the final result!

It was a great morning of creating our own ceramic figure, learning more Spanish vocabulary and making new friends.