The document provides details about an upcoming trip to Spain from March 28th to April 8th, 2012. It will include visits to several cities in the Basque region such as Vitoria-Gasteiz, Bilbao, and San Sebastian, as well as time spent in rural areas. Students will stay with families in Vitoria-Gasteiz, the hometown of the teacher organizing the trip. The itinerary also includes day trips to Madrid at the beginning and end of the trip. Specific details are given about flight information, costs, planned activities, and accommodations.

1. Trip to Spain
March 28 – April 8, 2012

2. INDEX
1.- Presentation
2.- FAQ
3.- Moodle Page
4.- iWeb Page
5.- Planning
6.- Flight information
7.- Detailed itinerary
8.- Cost of the trip
9.- Deposit
10.- Meeting with students
11.- Meeting with parents
12.- Chaperones
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3. 1.- PRESENTATION
Dear parents and students.
It is my pleasure to introduce the Trip to Spain 2012. Three years ago the destination was Madrid
and Andalucía. Two years ago we visited Barcelona and Valencia. Last year we walked El Camino
de Santiago, and for this Spring Break I have prepared a very special trip to the Basque Country.
And I am really excited about it because that is my home!
The capital city of the Basque Country is Vitoria-Gasteiz, my hometown. In the twenty-first
century, VG is characterized by its ¨green¨ and ¨sustainable¨ nature and for this reason has
been named ¨European Green Capital 2012¨. The theme of the Shanghai Expo was ¨Better City
– Better Life¨. What a better place to see this in practice than at the ¨European Green Capital
2012¨? It is a small city -only 240.000 inhabitants- with a lot to offer. Students will stay three
nights at the homes of friends of mine while discovering the many secrets of this beautiful place.
An almost thousand-year-old city, still it preserves much of its medieval layout with its peculiar
almond shape and the remains of its walls.
Other cities that we will visit in the Basque Country are Bilbao and San Sebastian. Bilbao is well
know for the famous Guggemheim Museum, and while VG was designated ¨European Green
Capital 2012¨, San Sebastian will be in 2016 the ¨European Capital of Culture¨. Still in the
Basque Country we will visit a winery of the famous Rioja wine, where the whole process of
making it will be explained.
Another part of the trip that I am very excited about is the rural Spain. We will spend two days in
the countryside among beautiful mountains, visiting really small charming towns, a castle, and
doing some hiking one of the days.
Our trip coincides with Easter, a big event in Christian countries like Spain. On the morning of
Good Friday we will attend the representation of the last moments in Jesus Christ´s Life. This
Living Passion, in the streets and squares of the town of Balmaseda is definitely something to see.
If all this is not enough, we will start and end our trip in Madrid.
It is going to be a memorable trip where students will be able to practice their Spanish and learn
about the culture in the way it should be done.
I hope you can join us!
Javier Castro.
HS Spanish teacher
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4. 2.- MOODLE PAGE
Check the Moodle Page ¨Trip to Spain 2012 – Puxi¨ if you want more information
(there are a lot of videos and photos)
http://sasoc.saschina.org/course/view.php?id=1351
It will be open to all students until November 22nd.
After that only for students who signed up for the trip.
3.- iWeb PAGE
http://iwebpx.saschina.org/javiercastro/2012_SAS_Puxi_Spanish_Trip/Welcome.html
Lots of videos and photos.
4.- FAQ
1.- I am not taking the Spanish class. Can I still participate in this trip?
The priority for this trip is:
- Students in the Spanish classes from upperclassmen to underclassmen (grades 12, 11, 10 and 9)
- Students who are not taking Spanish.
If you are not taking Spanish, how are your chances to go?
Pretty high! In the last three years everybody who signed up for the trip was able to go. So if you
are taking French or Chinese you could also go.
The trip is limited to 20 students.
2.- Is there any way to get CAS hours?
Sure! If you are an IB student you would be able to get some hours. For Creativity you will be
assigned a project. One of the days we are going hiking and another day kayaking, and these
hours could count for Action. No Service Hours in this trip.
3.- What does the price include?
The price includes everything:
- Flight
- Transportation in Spain
- Accomodation
- Food
4.- What does the price doesn´t include?
The price doesn´t include anything not mentioned in point 3 above, as telephone calls, souvenirs
or food that students may buy on their own.
The price doesn´t include the cost of the Spanish visa, in case you need one.
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5. Visas
are
not
required
for
any
country
that
is
a
member
of
the
European
Union,
Iceland,
Norway,
Switzerland,
U.K.,
Andorra,
Anguilla,
Argentina,
Australia,
Bermuda,
Brazil,
British
National
Overseas,
Brunei,
Bulgaria,
Canada,
Chile,
Costa
Rica,
Croatia,
El
Salvador,
Guatemala,
Honduras,
Hong
Kong
SAR,
Israel,
Japan,
Korean
Republic,
Liechtenstein,
Macao
SAR,
Malaysia,
Mexico,
Monaco,
Montserrat,
New
Zealand,
Nicaragua,
Panama,
Paraguay,
Romania,
San
Marino,
Singapore,
St.
Helena,
Taiwan,The
Caiman
Islands,
The
Falklands
Islands,
The
Virgin
Islands,
Turks
&
Caicos
Islands,
Uruguay,
USA,
Vatican
City,
Venezuela
All
other
nationalities
not
listed
above
(China,
India,
Philippines,
…)
need
a
Visa.
The
cost
of
a
visa
is
around
600
RMB.
Sr.
Castro
will
make
the
contacts
with
the
Spanish
Consulate
in
Shanghai
and
will
take
the
students
who
need
a
visa
through
the
process.
If
you
are
not
sure
about
your
country,
please
check
with
Sr.
Castro.
You will spend three nights in Vitoria-Gasteiz in houses of friends and family of Sr. Castro. They
don´t charge any money for that and they are very happy to host you. A NON EXPENSIVE
present from Shanghai for your homestay family would be appreciated.
5.- How much money do I need for the trip?
Everything is covered. Depending on your budget and souvenir shopping you may want to take
100-200 USD with you. You will need to change your $$$ or RMB into Euros at the airports
(Pudong or Madrid). ATM cards with an international link up (Cirrus, Plus, Maestro, Visa) can also
be used.
6.- Is this trip organized every year?
This will be the fourth trip to Spain in a row.
Sr. Castro is not planning to organize a trip to Spain on the next school year 2012/13.
In mind he has to cross the Ocean and organize a trip to South America at the beginning of the
summer 2013. Most likely Peru. Some of the highlights of that trip would be to climb Machu
Picchu, take some Spanish language classes and home stays in Lake Titicaca so you can immerse
yourself in Spanish.
Usually the trip to Spain is around 16,400 RMB.
Unfortunately, the trip to South America would be more expensive, as only the flight costs a lot.
Please have this in mind. There may not be another trip to Spain until the 2013/14 course.
7.- Any other questions?
Please e-mail your questions or comments to Sr. Castro (Javier.Castro@saschina.org) or to Ms.
Shi or see them at any time at their classes.
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6. 5.- PLANNING
Wednesday March 28 : Flight Shanghai-Dubai-Madrid (departure at 23:00)
Thursday March 29 : Madrid (arrival at 13:45)
Friday March 30 : Madrid – Vitoria-Gasteiz
Saturday March 31 : Vitoria-Gasteiz
Sunday April 1 : Vitoria-Gasteiz
Monday April 2 : Vitoria-Gasteiz – San Sebastian
Tuesday April 3 : San Sebastian – Bilbao – Quintana Martín Galíndez
Wednesday April 4 : Quintana Martín Galíndez
Thursday April 5 : Quintana Martín Galíndez
Friday April 6 : Quintana Martín Galíndez – Balmaseda – Lerma - Madrid
Saturday April 7 : Flight Madrid-Dubai-Shanghai (departure at 15:25)
Sunday April 8 : Shanghai (arrival at 15:05)
6.- FLIGHT INFORMATION
Air Company: EMIRATES
Shanghai (China) – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) – Madrid (Spain)
Wednesday March 28 – EK303: Pudong Airport (23:00) – Dubai (05:00+1)
Thursday March 29 – EK141: Dubai (07:50) – Madrid (13:45)
Duration (20h45’): EK303 (10h00´) + Stop-over (2h50´) + EK141 (7h55´)
Madrid (Spain) – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) – Shanghai (China)
Saturday April 7 – EK142: Madrid (15:25) – Dubai (00:30 + 1)
Sunday April 8 – EK302: Dubai (03:25) – Pudong Airport (15:05)
Duration (17h40’): EK142 (7h05´) + Stop-over (2h55´) + EK302 (7h40´)
Departure – Meeting time: Wednesday March 28 at 20:30 at Pudong Airport
The flight departs at 23:00 on Wednesday night. For international flights we need to check in two
hours before, so we will meet at 20:30 at Pudong Airport – Terminal 2, in front of Emirates
check-in counters.
SAS doesn´t provide transportation to the airport, we will meet there.
Arrival in Shanghai: Sunday April 8 at 15:05 p.m. at Pudong Airport
7.- DETAILED ITINERARY
Thursday March 29 – Madrid
- Arrival to Barajas Airport, Madrid (13:45)
- Private bus will take us to the hotel (Hotel Convención http://www.hotel-convencion.com/ )
- Check-in and lunch at the hotel
- Afternoon – Visit Madrid
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7. - Dinner at hotel
Madrid is the capital of Spain and you will get in love with the city. We will visit ¨El Retiro¨ Park
very close to our hotel, ¨Puerta del Sol¨ and ¨Kilometer 0¨ of Spain, ¨Plaza Mayor¨ and ¨Palacio
Real¨. Wandering around is the best way to experience the city.
Madrid is the biggest city in Spain, but don´t worry! While Shanghai has almost twenty million
inhabitants, less than three and a half million people live in Madrid. Very easy to move around!
Friday March 30 – Madrid – Vitoria-Gasteiz
- Breakfast at hotel
- Visit Madrid
- Lunch at Restaurante ¨La Taurina¨, very close to ¨Puerta del Sol¨ http://www.lataurina.com/
- 15:30 - Bus Madrid – Vitoria-Gasteiz (350 kilometers – around 4h30´)
- 20:00 – Arrival to Vitoria-Gasteiz. Meet and greet families
- Dinner with family
Accommodation –three nights- with local families (friends and family of Sr. Castro)
HOMESTAY WITH FAMILIES @VITORIA-GASTEIZ
To stay with families is nothing new on the Spanish trips. Last year students didn´t stay with
families during ¨El Camino¨ but in hotels and ¨albergues¨. However in the first two trips
students stayed with families at Córdoba and in Sabadell and Valencia respectively.
Homestay is a great opportunity to learn about the daily life of Spanish families, taste local food
and practice your Spanish. Before getting there you will be asked if you prefer to stay only you in
a house or with another friend, and we will try to accommodate that.
You only spend the nights with families. During the rest of the days we do activities together.
ABOUT VITORIA-GASTEIZ (VG)
As I mentioned in the introduction VG is my hometown and a wonderful city to visit. Being a
small city it has received international recognition for several reasons. One of them is that during
2012 it will have the honour of being the ¨European Green Capital¨. This award is given ¨to
recognize and reward local efforts to improve the enviroment, the economy and the quality of life
of growing urban populations¨. Vitoria-Gasteiz had to compete against 17 cities that applied for
the award, among them Barcelona (Spain), Antwerp (Belgium), Rome (Italy), Budapest
(Hungary), Glasgow (U.K.), Nantes (France), Nuremberg (Germany) and Reykjavík (Iceland).
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8. The city was founded in 1181, and from the beginning it became an important place for its great
strategic position, on the shortest route between the Castilian plateau and northern Europe. The
picture that you see below is of the ¨Plaza de la Virgen Blanca¨. Like the palm of one´s hand it
invites you to explore its fingers. The narrow streets of the Medieval Quarter will take us into a
magical world where we will discover well-preserved medieval buildings and parts of the restored
city walls.
The monument that you can see in the middle of the plaza is to remember the ¨Battle of Vitoria¨,
where Napoleon´s army was defeated on July 21, 1813. Music lovers: Beethoven composed an
orchestal piece to commemorate this occasion.
Saturday March 31 and Sunday April 1st – Vitoria-Gasteiz
- Breakfasts and dinners with families
- Lunches in the city
During two days we will explore the city.
Some of my favourites places are:
- Catedral de Santamaría http://www.catedralvitoria.com/ingles/
Some of you may be thinking, ¨¡oh, no, I don´t want to visit cathedrals!¨.
You will change your mind after visiting this one!
¨Catedral de Santamaría¨ is a thirteenth-century Gothic temple. We called it ¨La Catedral Vieja¨
because there is another cathedral in the city called ¨Catedral Nueva¨.
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9. What does it make this cathedral different? Something probably not to very proud of, some years
ago. In 1994 it had to be closed to the public due to its many structural problems –in other
words, it was falling apart-. During the restauration they discovered many things about the story
of the city and the cathedral, and still they are working on it. This is the cool part, still they are
working on it. So to enter the cathedral we will have to put a safety hat on our heads and visit
the construction site. During the tour –in English- you will learn a lot about history in a fun way!
If you cannot wait to visit it you can take a virtual tour on-line:
http://www.catedralvitoria.es/virtual/
In 2002 it received the Award ¨Europa Nostra¨, the highest distinction that the European Union
gives to the efforts to maintain important heritage sites.
Have you heard about the book ¨The pillars of the earth¨, by Ken Follet? They made a TV serie
based on it –you can buy it at any DVD store here in Shanghai-. The title of the second part of
the book is ¨World Without End¨. The author got ideas from this cathedral and he received a lot
of help from the Santa María Foundation. To show his appreciation on January 9, 2008 he made
the official presentation of this book in the main gate of the cathedral. Ken Follet has visited
Vitoria-Gasteiz many times, and he even has a bronze statue right next to the cathedral.
- Playing Card Museum
The Fournier Playing Card Museum has the best collection of its kind in the world. If you like
playing pocker in Casinos, the chances that the decks were made in Vitoria-Gasteiz are very high
:-)
- Eduardo Dato Street
This is the Nanjing Lu of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the city´s commercial artery.
- Virgen Blanca Square
For centuries this was –and still is- a meeting point in the city. It used to be the market square in
medieval times.
Please go to the Website for the Spanish Trip to check some short videos about these places, so
you can get familiar with the city.
Monday April 2 – Vitoria-Gasteiz – La Rioja Alavesa – Hendaya – San Sebastián
- Breakfast with families
- 09:00 – Bus to La Rioja, to visit a winery (50 km./1h. from VG)
http://www.marquesderiscal.com/
The area of La Rioja produces some of the best wines in the world. We will visit the
winery ¨Marques de Riscal¨ where the whole process of making wine will be explained.
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10. - Lunch in a restaurant in Hendaye (200 Km from La Rioja, 2h30´-3h): At Hendaye we will still be
in the Basque Country, but not in Spain any more. We will be in the French part of the Basque
Country. How cool is that? :-) Posibly we would go back to Spain taking a boat, on a 10´ ride.
History lovers: Anybody knows anything about ¨The meeting at Hendaye¨?
- Dinner and accommodation in San Sebastian (30k./30´ from Hendaye)
This is what Lonely Planet says about San Sebastian:
¨It´s said that nothing is impossible. This is wrong. It´s impossible to lay eyes on San Sebastián
and not fall madly in love. This stunning city is everything that grimy Bilbao is not: cool, svelte
and flirtatious by night, charming and well mannered by day. Best of all is the summer fun on the
beach. For it´s setting, form and attitude, Playa de la Concha is the equal of any city beach in
Europe. Then there´s Playa de Gros, with its surfers and sultry beach goers. As the sun falls on
another sweltering summer´s day, you´ll sit back with a drink and an artistic pintxo and realise
that, yes, you too are in love with sexy San Sebastián.¨
Tuesday April 3 – San Sebastian – Bilbao – Quintana Martín Galíndez
- 08:00 Breakfast in San Sebastian
- 09:00 San Sebastián – San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (120K./1h30´)
This is one of my favorites places of the Basque coast, the ¨Ermita de San Juan de
Gaztelugatxe¨. ¨It stands on an islet that is connected to the mainland by a bridge. It also has
two natural arches on its seaward side. Built by the Knights Templars in the 10th century, it has
also served as a handy shelter for shipwrecked sailors¨ -Lonely Planet-. On a familiar note, my
sister got married here.
- San Juan de Gaztelugatxe – Bermeo (8.3km)
Bermeo is a traditional Basque fishing port.
- Lunch in Bilbao (34 km.) and visit to the Guggemheim Museum and Universidad de Deusto
Yeap, there is a Guggemheim Museum also in the Basque Country, and the building is s-pec-ta-
cu-lar. See the picture on page 5.
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11. Connected to the museum by a bridge is my Alma Mater, Deusto University. We will be able to
enter and walk to see the atmosphere at a Spanish university.
- Bilbao – Quintana Martín Galindez (100 Km, 1h30´)
- Dinner and night in Quintana Martín Galindez
We will spend the next three nights in a hostel. Here you can check the Website:
http://huluaventura.com/albergue-valle-de-tobalina-las-merindades-burgos/
Wednesday April 4 and Thursday April 5 – Valle de Tobalina
The next two days we will spend them in the rural Spain, in an area in the mountains that I know
very well because my parents have a country house there.
For many of you ¨rural¨ means ¨there is nothing to do¨.
For me it is the opposite, and I will demostrate that to you. Among other things we will:
- Visit really small towns, a couple of them abandoned. You will be able to walk among houses in
ruins, conquered by the forest.
- Visit the officially smallest city of Spain, with 275 inhabitants. Why is it called ¨city¨ then? You
can do some research or discover that there. It has a beautiful medieval castle and bridge.
- Do some hiking in ¨Valderejo Natural Park¨, following the canyons formed by the river Purón.
- Do some kayacking.
- Visit a nuclear plant. Ha, ha, it is not a typo. I
know it doesn´t fit here, but yes, there is a nuclear
plant in the valley that we will visit.
- Visit the town called San Martín de Don where I go
to relax, in the mountains (not VG). You may be
surprised to see that is a place where EVERYBODY
knows to EVERYBODY else by their names. That
small. But it will be Easter vacation and a lot of
people will be there, loving to see you visiting the
town. We will play some games there so you can
interact with the locals in Spanish.
Friday April 6 – Quintana Martín Galindez – Balmaseda – Lerma – Madrid
After having breakfast at the hostel, we will take the bus to Balmaseda (65Km/1h15´)
http://www.viacrucisbalmaseda.com/
Cristianity is important in Spain, and this Friday is very special, as it is Good Friday. Cristians
commemorate the last hours in the life of Jesus Christ, before he was crucified. In the town of
Balmaseda the neighbours perform a live representation of the last moments in Jesus Christ´s
life, in the streets and squares of the town. Definitely something to watch!
In our way to Madrid we will stop in Lerma, to have there a pic-nic lunch. Lerma has important
monuments dating from the 17th century, as well as one of the biggest ¨Plaza Mayor¨ in Spain,
with 6.862 square meters.
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12. We will continue our route to Madrid, where we will spend our last night at the same hotel of the
first day. Dinner at the hotel.
Saturday April 7 – Madrid – Dubai - Shanghai
- Breakfast at hotel
- Last visit in Madrid
- 12:30: Transfer from hotel to Madrid Airport
- 15:25: Flight Madrid-Dubai-Shanghai
Sunday April 8 - Shanghai
- Arrival to Pudong Airport at 15:05
8.- COST OF THE TRIP
The total cost of the trip is XX.XXX RMB, based on 18 students and two chaperones.
The account number for the Spanish trip at the finance office is BXXXX.
Days Money deposit Money refunded Net cost
after the trip
2009 Madrid + Andalucía 8 XX.XXX RMB - XX.XXX RMB XX.XXX RMB
2010 Barcelona + Valencia 8 XX.XXX RMB - XX.XXX RMB XX.XXX RMB
2011 Camino de Santiago 9 XX.XXX RMB - XX.XXX RMB XX.XXX RMB
2012 Madrid + Vitoria-Gasteiz 10 XX.XXX RMB Refund expected after the trip
9.- DEPOSIT
- XX.XXX RMB is due by Monday November 28, 2011
- The balance of XX.XXX RMB is due by Tuesday February 14, 2012
- The payment should be made to the financial office by the above dates.
10.- MEETING WITH STUDENTS
Students taking Spanish: You will be informed about the trip during your Spanish class
Students not taking Spanish:
- Thursday November 10 during lunch time (from 13:00 to 13:25) at high school room 112 (old
building, Sr. Castro´s classroom)
- If you cannot attend this meeting and still interested please see Sr. Castro.
11.- MEETING WITH PARENTS
Two options, both at Sr. Castro´s classroom (112)
- Monday November 14, from 3:00 p.m. to 3:30.
- Tuesday November 15, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
If you cannot attend any of these meeting, please contact Sr. Castro to schedule another
meeting.
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13. 12.- CHAPERONES
Javier Castro is from Vitoria, in the Basque region of Spain. He got his college degree in Bilbao,
at a university located in front of the famous Guggenheim Museum. He moved to London for a
year and then he spent the next three in Madrid working as an IT guy for an electrical company.
International teaching knocked on his door and he started his career in South Carolina public
schools. For a Spaniard that is overseas J After the U.S. experience he taught three years at the
Dubai American Academy in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and in August 2008 he joined the SAS
family.
At SAS he has chaperoned three trips to Spain, two China Alive trips to Yunnan and Sichuan and
an Habitat for Humanity trip to Mongolia.
He has travelled to 56 countries, and he is very very excited about showing the students the area
that he knows best: his hometown.
Celia Shi has been a Chinese teacher in High School since 2007. Ms. Shi is not only a great
Chinese teacher but also a responsible chaperon of many school trips. During these 5 years, Ms.
Shi has chaperoned China Alive trips to Yunnan and Guizhou, Habitat for Humanity trip to
Sichuan, Global Issue Network (GIN) Anhui Trip with Chiheng Foundation, and is organizing and
going to chaperon a trip to Manila –Philippines- for a GIN conference on February 2012. Ms. Shi
has travelled to the USA and many countries in Asia and she is looking forward to taking our
students on the Spanish Trip in Europe.
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