School Blog

The aim of the Granada Film Festival Cines del Sur is to disseminate and promote films made in the countries of the so-called geopolitical south. Thus, the Festival will provide a space for the meeting of both young filmmakers and established talents from these countries, allowing for the screening of both new productions and emblematic and historic works.

There was a time, back in the fifties, when the West discovered cinema from the East. Such cinema, obviously, had been around for some time, but it had rarely reached our screens and we knew almost nothing about it. We then discovered the work of its great masters, the main lines of strength of its production, its most frequent genres and subgenres. With time, oriental film even became a favoured topic of theoretical attention and academic work. The voyage is far from over, although the geopolitical South soon began to take on clear protagonism in specialized journals and festivals all over the world.

In the age of the new cinemas (with Latin America being at the head) and the
emergence of young filmmakers in the most remote corners of the planet, this South was demanding the attention it had never before received and the
international circuit of festivals finally seemed willing to comply.

The Granada Festival Cines del Sur has joined that circuit, and it does so with the intention not of making untimely discoveries but rather of contributing to the public's knowledge about a subject the wealth and diversity of which have been amply demonstrated. Far from falling into that monolithic stereotype which, from comfortable ignorance, some people attribute to them, cinemas from the South offer images as varied as they are vibrant, and which our Festival now
intends to make available to the public, for the enjoyment of viewers.

Fiction and documentary -as well as any middle ground or hybrid formula-, commercial productions and films of the auteur tradition, celluloid and digital ... all quality films produced in the South will find a place within the design of the Granada Festival.

For further information visit the Festival Website!

Wednesday, 06.06.2018 / 20.00-21.30 h
Visit to the Arabic bath Aljibe de San Miguel (includes massage)
Meeting point: C/ San Miguel Alta, nº 41
Guide: NO / Price: 30 €

Saturday, 09.06.2018 / 08.45-20.00 h
Day trip to the Alpujarra Mountains
Meeting point: Congress Palace
Guide: Juan / Price: 50 €*
* includes transport, guide, insurances, ham tasting

As a complement to the school activities we recommend the Granada Film Festival Cines del Sur. Visit the Festival Website for further information!

Tuesday, 29.05.2018 / 16.00-17.30 h
Film session at the school (Classroom 5)
"La isla mínima" (Alberto Rodríguez / Spain 2014)

Friday, 01.06.2018 / 20.00-21.00 h
Flamenco performance "Raíz y Duende" at Taller de Arte Vimaambi
Meeting point: Cuesta de San Gregorio, nº 30-38 (Albaicín)
Guide: NO
Price: 15 €

Sunday, 03.06.2018 / 07.45-20.00 h
Day trip to Córdoba
Meeting point: Congress Palace
Guide: Juan
Price: 65 €*
* includes transport, guide, entrance fees, insurances

• Activities are organized for all Spanish levels
• Dates and activities may be subject to change.
• Students enroll and pay for all activities at the school.
• The school may cancel activities in case there is not a minimum of participants

Tuesday, 22.05.2018 / 20.30 h
Tapa tour with our teacher Marisa
Meeting point: School
Price: Students pay their own consumptions

Wednesday, 23.05.2018 / 20.00-21.30 h
Visit to the Arabic bath Aljibe de San Miguel (includes massage)
Meeting point: C/ San Miguel Alta, nº 41
Guide: NO
Price: 30 €

Friday, 25.05.2018 / 20.00-21.00 h
Flamenco at the Jardines de Zoraya
Spanish levels: all levels
Meeting point: C/ Panaderos, nº 32
Guide: NO
Price: 20 €*
* optional dinner at the restaurant

Saturday, 26.05.2018 / 07.45-20.00 h
Day trip to Córdoba
Meeting point: Congress Palace
Guide: Juan
Price: 65 €*
* includes transport, guide, entrance fees, insurances

Friday/Saturday/Sunday, 25/26/27.05.2018 / 12.45 h
Weekend trip to Northern Morocco
Guide: Abdel
Price: 195 €*
* reservation and further information at the office

• Activities are organized for all Spanish levels
• Dates and activities may be subject to change.
• Students enroll and pay for all activities at the school.
• The school may cancel activities in case there is not a minimum of participants

Tuesday, 15.05.2018 / 15.50-19.30 h
Excursion to Nigüelas village with a visit of an olive oil mill
http://oliveoiltour.com/
Meeting point: C/ Plaza Mariana Pineda
Guide: Yes
Price: 38 €*
* includes transport, olive oil tasting, minimum 2 persons

Wednesday, 16.05.2018 / 20.00-21.30 h
Visit to the Arabic bath Aljibe de San Miguel (includes massage)
Meeting point: C/ San Miguel Alta, nº 41
Guide: No
Price: 30 €

Friday, 18.05.2018 / 22.00-23.00 h
Flamenco performance "Raíz y Duende" at Taller de Arte Vimaambi
Meeting point: Cuesta de San Gregorio, nº 30-38 (Albaicín)
Guide: No
Price: 15 €

Saturday, 19.05.2018 / 08.45-20.00 h
Day trip to the Alpujarra Mountains
Meeting point: Congress Palace
Guide: Juan
Price: 50 €*
* includes transport, guide, ham tasting, insurances

Wednesday, 07.05.2018 / 16.00-17.30 h
Film session at the school
"El Olivo" (Spain 2016)
Classroom 5

Tuesday, 08.05.2018 / 20.30 h
Tapa tour with our teacher Marisa
Meeting point: School
Price: Students pay their own consumptions

Wednesday, 09.05.2018 / 20.00-21.30 h
Visit to the Arabic bath Aljibe de San Miguel (includes massage)
Meeting point: C/ San Miguel Alta, nº 41
Guide: NO
Price: 30 €

Saturday, 12.05.2018 / 08.45-20.00 h
Day trip to the Tropical Coast
Meeting point: Congress Palace
Guide: Juan
Price: 55 €*
* includes transport, guide, ham tasting, insurances

Friday/Saturday/Sunday, 11/12/13.05.2018 / 12.45 h
Weekend trip to Northern Morocco
Guide: Abdel
Price: 195 €*
* reservation and further information at the office

• Activities are organized for all Spanish levels
• Dates and activities may be subject to change.
• Students enroll and pay for all activities at the school.
• The school may cancel activities in case there is not a minimum of participants.
  
  

Wednesday, 02.05.2018 / 20.00-21.30 h
Visit to the Arabic bath Aljibe de San Miguel (includes massage)
Meeting point: C/ San Miguel Alta, nº 41
Guide: NO
Price: 30 €

Thursday, 03.05.2018 / 17.00 h
We visit the May Crosses and taste churros
Meeting point: School
Guide: Adela
Price: each student pays his consumption

Friday, 04.05.2018 / 22.00-23.00 h
Flamenco performance "Raíz y Duende" at Taller de Arte Vimaambi
Meeting point: Cuesta de San Gregorio, nº 30-38 (Albaicín)
Guide: NO
Price: 15 €

Saturday, 05.05.2018 / 08.45-20.00 h
Day trip to the Alpujarra Mountains
Meeting point: Congress Palace
Guide: Juan
Price: 50 €*
* includes transport, guide, ham tasting, insurances

• Activities are organized for all Spanish levels
• Dates and activities may be subject to change.
• Students enroll and pay for all activities at the school.
• The school may cancel activities in case there is not a minimum of participants.

Squares, patios and balconies are adorned with floral crosses, beginning three days of revelry.

The May Crosses festival is always at the beginning of May. It is actually more than a festival - it is also a contest, with neighbourhood associations competing for prizes for the best-decorated cross from town hall. The preparations take place in the preceding weeks, with people from each street or neighbourhood joining in with the decorating of their cross.

The crosses are judged according to criteria along the lines of: the decoration of the cross itself, the floral variety used, the lighting, and use of existing environmental elements (trees, walls etc).

The crosses are about three metres high, decorated with flowers, usually in red or white and sometimes with more foliage emerging from the upper part of the cross, including its three points, or patterns imposed on the base colour. The effect is further enhanced by more flowers (often pink and white) in pots in a carefully arranged pattern to complement the cross, hanging on the wall behind it, placed at its foot, or going up the steps on which it sits.

Each neighbourhood association sets up a bar next to its cross to serve drinks (try the fino sherry) and tapas to the partygoers. Let's not forget the music. In addition to the Sevillanas played during the day, with many local women dancing in their gypsy dresses, there are live performances local flamenco singers and groups or even rock bands at night.

In Granada the crosses are installed on the day of the festival, and remain in place until late in the evening.

Drawn by the allure of the Alhambra, many visitors head to Granada unsure what to expect. What they find is a city where Islamic architecture and Arab-flavoured street life go hand in hand with monumental churches, tapas bars and graffiti art.

The city, sprawled at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, was the last stronghold of the Spanish Moors and their legacy lies all around: it's in the horseshoe arches, the spicy aromas emanating from street stalls, the teahouses of the Albaicín, the historic Arab quarter. Most spectacularly, of course, it's in the Alhambra, an astonishing palace complex whose Islamic decor and landscaped gardens are without peer in Europe.

There's also an energy to Granada's streets, packed as they are with bars, student dives, bohemian cafes and intimate flamenco clubs, and it's this as much as the more traditional sights that leaves a lasting impression.

So, many secondary schools from all around Europe and overseas choose Granada as a destination for their annual school trip.

The Spanish language programme takes usually place place during one week and consists of 4 Spanish classes lasting 45 minutes each, every day from Monday to Friday.

The whole group will be divided in classes with a maximum of 8 to 10 students per Spanish level.

Depending on the group's interests, we offer a tailor-made programme of cultural activities which includes visits to the old arabic quarter Albaicín, to the world-famous Alhambra, to the Sacromonte area, Flamenco shows, tapa tours, the Arabic bath or day-filling guided tours to Cordoba or Seville.

We will take care of everything during the group stay, including accommodation. We can offer full board accommodation with Spanish host families in double rooms, an option often suited for younger students.

Ahora puedo constatar sin ninguna duda que vuestra escuela de español ha sido la elección perfecta. Los chavales han estado muy contentos con las clases de español, para ellos ha sido un cambio muy refrescante de ambiente y profe. Muchos me han dicho que les ha encantado vuestro guía Juan. De hecho una chica me comentó que siempre le escuchaba muy atenta y le encantaban las cosas curiosas que contaba, aunque también me confesó que le costaba comprender sus bromas y su sentido del humor. También les han gustado mucho todas las actividades culturales y lúdicas, y eso pese a la lluvia que nos acompañó en algunas. El marido de Marisa ha triunfado tanto con sus churros que en Bratislava ahora existe un grupo de absolutos aficionados al chocolate con churros. En fin, podría contarte muchas de las cosas buenas que he escuchado sobre la estancia en Granada.

Por mi parte no tengo más que palabras de agradecimiento. Mercedes es una mujer encantadora, nos trató a Carolina y a mí también que a veces nos daba la sensación de que estábamos en nuestra propia casa. Yo fui muy nerviosa a Granada porque era mi primer viaje con alumnos, pero me alegró mucho Adela cuando me dijo que nuestros alumnos eran muy buenos, se portaban muy bien, eran muy educados y listos. Me quité un peso de encima porque no sabía si estábamos manejándolos lo suficientemente bien.

El domingo fuimos al Parque de las Ciencias y por la tarde a la tetería Nazarí. Muchos querían fumar cachimba, y como yo no estaba segura de que fuese algo que les gustase a los padres, les dijimos que llamasen a sus padres. No hubo problema y muchos de ellos me dijeron que fue una de las cosas más divertidas del viaje. Después subimos al Carmen de los Mártires y, aunque ya estaba cerrado, el paseo y las vistas fueron impresionantes. ¡Gracias por vuestra recomendación!

En fin, podría seguir contando miles de impresiones de este viaje tan maravilloso. Esta semana se me ha hecho dura no por el hecho de tener que trabajar sino por la nostalgia de querer haberme quedado una semanita más en Granada.

Saludos a todos/as vuestros compañeros/as y a Juan de parte de nuestro instituto ... nos alegramos mucho de haber compartido una semana con vosotros. Y que sepáis que en Bratislava tenéis vuestra casa (mejor dicho casas, que somos muchos).

Un cordial saludo,
Cristina Simon + Carolina Herrera (Profesoras de español / 23.04.2018)
Bilingválne Gymnázium C. S. Lewisa, Bratislava
En la página de nuestro instituto hemos publicado impresiones de nuestro viaje: http://bilgym.sk/jazykovy-pobyt-v-granade/