According to Edina High School Spanish teacher Alejandro Diaz, “going to experience the culture of another country…is one of the highlights of [learning] a world language.”

Diaz, who just took thirty-two lucky EHS students plus DECA teacher Ryan Gallagher and fellow Spanish teacher Jennifer Carter on a tour of Spain, has been helping students learn the ins-and-outs of studying abroad since before he began at EHS.

While working in Chile and Mexico, Diaz served as a language teacher but also went sightseeing with students through school-sponsored programs. “In Mexico I did that all the time, so I was going ahead on buses, going along with kids to restaurants, classes, conducting teachers, I was assistant of the director’s program. That’s what my job was, and that’s why I value traveling – because I learn so much,” said Diaz.

From March 27 to April 6, Diaz led the group through various museums, castles, palaces, and two professional soccer matches. First was Madrid, where the group stayed for four days, and from there they traveled to the city of South Toledo, Segovia, and a tiny village called Consuegra before boarding a train for Barcelona, Figueres, and Cadaques.

“The reason I go to Toledo is because Toledo used to be the capital – it’s a medieval city, and then I go to a small town [called] Consuegra where they have the windmills and it’s very pretty. So we get the big city – Madrid, small – Toledo, and the very small, little village – Consuegra. Segovia has the large aqueduct,” explained Diaz.

Although the group explored many seemingly different regions of the country, the tour is connected by the theme of Spanish history and art, with visits to such attractions as the Prado Museum in Madrid, the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, the Dali Theatre and Museum in Figueres, various castles in Segovia, and palaces in Madrid and Consuegra.

A highlight for many was visiting La Sagrada Familia, a church in Barcelona. “I’ve never seen something constructed so beautifully in my life,” summed up junior Ellie Schlaefer.

As Diaz explained, “There is a ton of stuff to see [in Spain], so you can really have an educational experience by being there. It’s not a vacation…sure we go to the beach once to play volleyball but mostly it’s probably like ten museums, castles, buildings.”

The group also got a chance to see two soccer games during the trip – one in Madrid and the second in Barcelona. “It’s such a cultural thing. They have two of the best teams in Europe, they have the best players in the world, and every little kid’s dream is to become Messi, and you see that around the world,” remarked Diaz.

Although the trip keeps a tight schedule, some of the most memorable moments were unplanned. “It sounds cheesy, but I really enjoyed when I taught a class about food in a tapas bar,” said Diaz.

“I met this wonderful guy in a local restaurant – it’s not in the tourist route…And this guy, his name is Don Fidel, I asked him for some tapas for the kids, and he became a very good friend. We watched the game, then during the half, we explained the flavors of the tapas, and he made a tortilla [de patatas] like right in front of the kids,” noted Diaz “I explained to the kids about the culture, how to order in a restaurant – it’s such a different experience than [what we have],” continued Diaz.