#Institucionales
(Español) El Modelo BDS de Tecnología, Educación y Cultura, en una publicación de la UTN
(Español) Mesas de examen, febrero de 2013
… Goodbye, London, Goodbye!
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Friday, December 21st
We left the hotel early in the morning on a walking tour of London’s South Bank. It had stopped raining and some sun rays were slowly warming up the day. It did not feel like London in December and we decided to make the most of it. We got off the underground at Westminster Abbey and crossed the Westminster Bridge. We walked straight ahead till our first stop: The Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe. Some girls decided to visit the theatre while others, the wonderful art museum. The Globe is a reconstruction of the original theatre that caught fire in 1613 and also hosts an exhibition hall. Plays are performed in the spring and summer. The Tate Modern is a modern art gallery that features a permanent collection of paintings by Braque, Matisse, Pollock among its 60.000 masterpieces. We met again at the foot of the Millennium Bridge to continue our walk towards St. Paul’s Cathedral, and from there to the Tower of London.
When we reached the Tower, the group split once more. One group visited the Tower of London, built by William the Conqueror, which is actually a castle and served, as a palace, observatory, storehouse and, above all, as a prison. The group did not miss the amazing crown jewels. Another group went the Tate Britain, which celebrates paintings from the XVI century to the XX century and hosts works by Turner, Hogarth and Gainsborough, among others. A third group went to the Imperial War Museum that focuses on military action of British and Commonwealth troops along the XX century.
After an intense day most the girls returned to the hotel while some went to theatre to see the hit musical Billy Elliot.
Saturday, December 22nd
It was a grey and rainy day, but this did not refrain us from following the day’s schedule. We left the hotel and headed towards Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. With more than 2000 Western European paintings on display, this is one of the largest galleries in the world. There are seminal paintings from every important epoch in the history of art, including works by Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian, Velázquez, Turner, Van Gogh and Renoir. None of the girls wanted to miss one of the famous Sunflower masterpieces painted by Van Gogh.
We then headed towards Buckingham Palace, the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II and then walked to Westminster Abbey, the place of coronation for England’s sovereigns. Within the Abbey, they found UK’s oldest door, Poet’s Corner, the Coronation Chair, the tombs of Mary Tudor, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots and Sir Isaac Newton, among other highlights.
Believe it or not, after visiting the Abbey we had lunch and then went to the British Museum and visited the galleries devoted to ancient civilizations, from Egypt to Western Asia, the Middle East, the Romans and Greece. The girls were impressed by the Egyptian mummies and the Parthenon sculptures. After this visit we took the underground to Notting Hill and Portobello Road where the girls rummaged through the various shops . In spite of the rainy weather, we really made the most of our day.
Sunday, December 23rd
Sunday was the last day of our trip to London. The girls were given free time in the morning to visit places they had missed, to shop for Christmas presents or to simply stay at the hotel getting ready for our long journey back home. Some went to the Victoria and Albert Museum to visit a Hollywood Costumes exhibition, others went to the London Eye, another small group to the Natural History Museum and the some returned to the National Gallery.
After lunch, we returned to the hotel and the bus picked us up at 2 o’clock to take us to Heathrow to catch our flight to Madrid and then home. It had been an amazing trip, we did not waste a single minute of our visit to the UK and none of us will forget the great moments we shared, the fun we had and everything we learnt, not only in the exciting museums, but from each other.
We will look at the pictures and relive all those wonderful moments which will accompany us the rest of our lives...
Mónica Bruck
Head of the Humanities Department, Middle & Senior
Merry Christmas to all!
Cardiff Castle, Bath and a victory in Hockey!
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Mónica Bruck reports on the last few days. Thanks, Mónica, for such eloquent pieces and vivid photos!
Monday, December 17th
It was the gilrs' turn to visit Cardiff Castle, one of the most fascinating buildings in Britain! With a long history stretching back to the Roman invasion, the site is a reconstructed Roman fort, an impressive Norman castle and a Victorian palace, all in one. The girls were excited and looked forward to visiting the beautiful buildings. Some of them climbed to the top to enjoy the view, toured the tunnels used as shelters during the Second World War, explored the keep and visited all the beautiful rooms of the Victorian palace.
Congrats, BDS girls!!
Later, it was time for the first hockey match to be played in the United Kingdom. The second team played first and was able to defeat the Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf team 1-0. Our girls played with enthusiasm, energy and will. We all celebrated our first success! . The Welsh school´s coach congratulated Martina Díaz Fernández for her excellent performance.
The first team also played the best game of the tour. It was an exciting match because after superb collective action Agostina Dasso scored the first goal. The other team scored twice but in spite of their initial disappointment, they never gave up and Florencia Bortman scored a second goal.
After the match, we all shared hot chocolate and Christmas sweets and exchanged presents with the other team. The girls from the other school spoke Welsh and it was interesting to listen to young girls speaking such an ancient language. We were told that some of their parents spoke only English.
After the match, we toured Cardiff streets to admire the beautiful Christmas decorations.
December 18th
After breakfast, we boarded our bus and headed to Bath. It was an hour and a half ride and our first stop were the Roman Baths. The gush of hot mineral water which bursts from the ground in the centre of Bath has always been a subject of wonder and the girls were just as fascinated. In the first century AD, the Romans chose this site to build one of the most astounding public buildings of Roman Britain.
We saw fragments of the magnificent Temple of Sulis Minerva, Goddess of the thermal spring, and the remarkably well preserved bath-house frequented by residents and pilgrims nearly 2000 years ago. Also on display are coins and curses thrown into the Sacred Spring, and numerous other treasures unearthed through archeological excavations over the past 300 years. The girls loved to make a wish and then toss a coin into the thermal waters. Hopefully their wishes will come true.
We then walked around Bath, which has justly earned its status as a UNESCO World Heritage City due to its splendid architecture, its Georgian crescents, squares and streets lined by elegant townhouses built in the particular Bath stone.
A few hours later we left the city and made our way to Bristol. This is a busy city with streets lined with shops, quiet different from Bath. It is a port, though not on the sea but on the Avon Gorge. The highlight of Bristol is its beautiful Cathedral, founded in the year 1140. The Cathedral has much of interest including unique architectural features, unusual memorials and an historic organ. After visiting the Cathedral we went back to the hotel for an early dinner. The girls had to pack to get ready for their trip to London.
To read about the boys' experience in Spain, please go to the Spanish version of this post.