Brentwoodian 2019

16 Granada "Monday was one of the most terrifying, nerve-racking, difficult, rewarding and amazing days of my life." This half-term was one of the best times of my life. It was full of adventure, laughter, heat and, of course, paella! The night before we set off for Granada I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep. We came into school for four lessons and after lunch we got a coach to take us to Stansted airport where the fun commenced. We spent some time shopping and then boarded the plane to take us to the land of flamenco and extreme heat. On our first day in Granada we woke up early and met a tour guide at San Cristobal viewpoint in the centre of Granada from where we could see the whole of the city. It was a steep climb to get there but it was so worth it. After that our guide walked us around many beautiful places and we learnt about Andalusian history and culture and the reasons behind the building of the Albaicin and the Alhambra. We finished the tour on the high street and had lunch at Burger King (to Mr Smith's disapproval) and then went shopping in the bazar which felt like we were in Morocco. We then retreated out of the heat to the comfort of the hotel for a quick dip in the pool which we all needed. The next morning, we went to Mini Hollywood, a Western style theme park that used to be a movie set for old cowboy films. We watched a re- enactment of an encounter between two outlaws in a small town and then went to the pool ... just as the sun went in. My friend and I went to the zoo before we were joined by everyone else for a bird show. It was so much fun and one of my favourite parts of the trip. On Sunday we went back to the high street and looked in some of the Spanish gift shops along the Calle de Elvira with elegant, patterned merchandise and lots of vibrant colours. There were some really funny things in the shops like a pillow shaped like smoked ham, which I obviously bought. We also had a quick look in a tiny church with nuns who pray 24 hours a day in shifts and never speak, which was really interesting to see and very moving. Monday was one of the most terrifying, nerve- racking, difficult, rewarding and amazing days of my life. We went on a ten-mile trek up a mountain called Los Cahorros in the small town of Monachil. When we reached the first of the many hanging bridges, which were really rickety and like something from an Indiana Jones movie, I was truly petrified. I put one shaky foot in front of the other and felt sick until I reached the other side. We kept climbing in the boiling sun and under huge rocks on the cliff edges for about four hours with a half-hour break in the middle. As we neared the end I became more confident and felt that I had conquered my fear of heights. So here we are, the last day or in other words going home. I am now just about to land at Stansted Airport and am awaiting the big impact of hitting the ground. This trip has been so much fun and I know I will be visiting Granada again soon. Thank you so much for such an amazing trip; I had such a good time. By Elsie Playle