About the Trip

The program consists of a four week stay. The first week is spent in Madrid; the second and third weeks students are received by their Spanish host families in Granada. The last week is spent at the beach, in Almuñecar, on the Costa del Sol.

At over 2,000 feet above sea level, Madrid is Europe’s highest capital. Our luxury hotel is centrally located with convenient access to all major highlights of Spain’s imperial capital: the Puerta del Sol, the Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace, the Plaza de España, the Retiro Park, and much more. We visit the traditional Prado Museum as well as the Reina Sofia Contemporary Art Museum. Day trips include medieval Toledo, home of El Greco, The Valley of the Fallen, an extraordinary memorial to the Spanish Civil War, and El Escorial, a 16th century monastery/palace often called the “eighth wonder of the world.” In Segovia we stroll under an incredible 2,000 year old Roman aqueduct in our way to the castle that is said to have inspired Walt Disney.

After this first introductory week, we travel in our private coach to Southern Spain. Our two week immersion program is located in the beautiful city of Granada, in Andalusia, home of the famous Alhambra Palace. It was the last Moorish city to fall to the Christians in 1492, at the hands of Queen Isabel of Castile and her husband Ferdinand of Aragon. Our students are paired with Spanish students from a prominent private high school in Granada. They become integrant parts of a Spanish family, a truly rich experience which contributes most to their progress in the target language. In addition to participating fully in the everyday life of their Spanish families, students are placed in small classes according to their levels of competency and areas of interest. Besides language, literature, and civilization classes, we encourage students to take advantage of the many different opportunities for learning outside of the traditional classroom: flamenco and salsa classes, cooking and art classes, as well as physical exercise, ranging from team sports to the many activities offered in a traditional, upscale gym: weight lifting, swimming, aerobic and yoga classes, etc.

Some of the featured highlights of our visits include the Gothic Cathedral and Royal Chapel with the tomb of Ferdinand and Isabella. In the northeast of the city is the Albaicín quarter, which is the oldest section of Granada. Albaicín is bounded on the south by the Darro River, and on the other side of the river is the hill upon which stands the famous Moorish palace, the Alhambra, as well as the Alcazaba fortress that guarded it and the Generalife, which was the summer palace of the Moorish sultan. The Cartuja, or Carthusian monastery stands in the north of the city. Near the restored monastery of San Jerónimo (1492) is the University of Granada, which was founded in 1526; it is now housed in a former Jesuit college. Southeast of Granada city, nestling in the foothills of the mighty snow-capped Sierra Nevada, is a chain of ancient villages, with their distinctive Berber architecture of flat, clay-roofed houses, known as the Alpujarras. These 50 or so villages are surrounded by terraced farmland and lush vegetation that is irrigated with the melting snows from the mountains towering above it. These striking whitewashed villages include Bubíon, Yegen, immortalized by the British writer Gerald Brenan in the 1920s, and Trevélez, the highest village in Spain. Available to us are many superb walks linking all these villages. Other day trips will give us the opportunity to discover two other important cities in Andalusia: Cordova, which was the main City of Al-Andalus and the most populated City in Europe in the X Century. Its Mosque is the oldest monument in the West. And Sevilla: the main City of the Kingdom of Castille during the XIII Century and the most important center in commerce with the Americas.

The last week of our program is spent in a luxury, beachfront hotel in Almuñecar, a very Spanish, local resort on the Costa del Sol, 45 minutes South of Granada. The mountains run right down to the sea and the coastline is typically a series of coves and promontories. Aside from the usual pool and beach activities, daily instruction is given by the Exeter faculty in preparation for our tours: the historic downtown of this resort city, its castle and archeological, cave museum. Other day trips include Nerja and its spectacular “Balcony of Europe", a magnificent promenade along the edge of a towering cliff, once the site of the great Moorish castle, with sweeping panoramic views of the Mediterranean and the small coves and beaches below, against an awesome backdrop of hazy blue mountains. However, Nerja's most spectacular attraction is undoubtedly its fascinating caves, located just three kilometers from the centre of town. They include archaeological treasures such as paintings over 20,000 years old and other pre-historic remains. One of the enormous natural caverns has been transformed into a concert hall, where many performances are staged during the summer. Finally no visit of Southern Spain would be complete without a trip to Marbella and its marina, Puerto Banus. Marbella presents its visitors with a typical Andalusian style, historic downtown, with narrow little streets, whitewashed houses, quaint town squares decorated with flowers and the warm blue Mediterranean lapping at its beaches.

The Exeter Summer Program is open to students aged 14 to 18. The cost of the program is $5,950 without airfare. It includes full tuition, insurance, room and board, laundry, transfers and excursions, tickets for cultural events, hotel accommodations, gym membership fees, and all meals. The Exeter faculty will meet all students at the Madrid airport and will accompany them to the Malaga airport for their departure flights.

Program Dates for 2009

June 15 to July 13, 2009

To Apply

To apply, please email Mario Alvarez, director of the Spain Summer Program. Next, print, complete, and mail or fax your application materials to the director. Contact information is found below:

Mario Alvarez, Director
Spain Summer Program
Department of Modern Languages
Phillips Exeter Academy
20 Main Street
Exeter, New Hampshire 03833
e-mail: malvarez@exeter.edu
voice mail: (603) 777-4015