No sooner had we arrived at our hotel in Torremolinos, than our packed day was to start.

First was our visit to the nearby Malaga. We went to the Gibralfaro Castle, a medieval fortress built to scare the enemies arriving from Africa. It gives a great overlook of Malaga and its coastline. Then, some free time by the water as well as visiting the Picasso museum which was our last stop after our gruelling first day which started at 4am.

The second day of our Andalucian visit was to Seville which is home to the third largest Cathedral in the world. Our day began with a rooftop tour of the Cathedral with a view of the historic city as well as a downstairs walkabout which included the remains of Christopher Columbus.

Day three was a trip to Cordoba which involved going to a medieval synagogue and a mosque. The mosque was originally a Cathedral but is now predominantly Islamic architecture, and the synagogue contained a statue of Maimonides.  We also visited the Casa de Sefarad, a museum about the (often dark and troubling) Jewish history of Spain, and a Jewish music tour.

Our last trip was to Granada to see the  world famous Alhambra which has grown  from a small 9th century fortress, into a royal palace and a bustling tourist site. It took many hours to tour the vast site, with its 100,000m² boundaries and UNESCO status.

The last day included free time (yessss!)  in Torremolinos as well as walking down to the beach before heading back to Malaga airport for our journey back. The trip was brilliantly organised by Mr. Fernandez, as well as Miss. Santos, Mrs. Shamash and Mr. Marco who accompanied us on the trip.

By Hadley Shapps