APRIL 15th: Cabárceno (Cantabria)

APRIL 12th: San Juan de Luz and San Sebastian

Today we woke up and took a bus to San Juan de Luz in France. We walked around the cute little town and went into a French bakery to get a chocolate croissant which was so delicious. We also sat on the beach and shopped around some stores. Then we went to San Sebastián where we went to an aquarium and then walked around the town. We got an ice cream and layed on the beach because the weather was beautiful. We also saw the “peine de los vientos” sculpture on the ocean. Then we took the bus back to Getxo and spent time with our families.

by Jill Ross

APRIL 11TH: Diputación and Sailing the river

Today, we had a slightly shorter day.  First, we all went to one class at Julio Caro Baroja High School.  It was very interesting to compare and contrast the school to Scituate High-school.  Then, we all met in the lobby in order to walk to the metro, in which we took into Bilbao.  In Bilbao, we went to the Diputación.  It was a very beautiful building for the outside, but it was even more amazing on the inside.  There were elegant red carpets and marvels pillars covered in bronze.  There were ornate paintings on the walls that gave insight into Spain’s past.  For example married women wore long hair and head scarves while in married women wore short hair and no head scarf.  After leaving the Diputación, we had some time to explore La Gran Vía.  Next, we walked to the river in order to catch our boat ride.  We all started on the top of the boat, but one the rain started to get worse, we all decided to come down.  The ride was very relaxing and we were able to see the whole entire city.  We also went under many bridges.  To finish up our day, we had a little bit more free time to explore the city of Bilbao before riding the metro back to Getxo.

APRIL 10th: Gernika, Bermeo and San Juan de Gaztelugatxe

We went to Santimamiñe which is a cave that was discovered with drawings from prehistoric cavemen. Next we went to Guernica and learned the history and the symbolism of the bombing. After we went to Bermeo to look at a coastal spanish town. To end our excursion we visited the San Juan de Gaztelugatxe bridge that is in Game of Thrones.

by Liam Higgins

Today we visited the Santimamiñe Caves where we learned about the earliest inhabitants of the Basque Country. While we weren’t able to go very far into the caves, we were able to see a video of the famous mural paintings, depicting bisons, horses, goats, and deers. After the caves, we headed to Gernika for a guided tour of the Museo de la Paz and then to the Casa de Juntas. At the museum, the simulation of the bombing was especially moving. It recreated the fear and vulnerability of the citizens of Gernika and it made many of us emotional. The Casa de Juntas was also very interesting as it served as a meeting place for the political figures of Vizcaya to hold general sessions. The Tree of Gernika, which represents the withstanding nature of the Basque people was also great to see, as it is an extremely important symbol for the Basque Country. We then went to Bermeo after driving by the surfing town of Mundaka. Bermeo, after suffering damage from many storms, erected a massive sea wall to protect the town. It was also unique because of the bright use of colors on all of the buildings. We learned that some of the boats had come all the way from Africa and that many of the residents were fishermen. Our last stop, per request of Mr. Matisoff, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, was the best stop for many of us. This location is the site where parts of Game of Thrones was filmed. The hike was difficult and there were hundreds of stairs but the view at the top was incredible. Today in general was tiring but definitely worth it.

by Thea Malerbi

SANTIMAMIÑE CAVES,  PEACE MUSEUM, BIZKAIA'S ASSEMBLY BUILDING, GERNIKA'S TREE

BERMEO, SAN JUAN DE GAZTELUGATXE

APRIL 9th: Getxo Town Hall, Guggenheim museum, Casco Viejo

Today we took a trip to the Guggenheim Museum and it was one of the most amazing museums I have ever seen. I don’t normally like art museums but this one was fascinating to me. The first thing we saw when we walked up was the giant statue of the “Pupi”; the dog made out of flowers and it was beautiful. We went in and walked through big steel sculptures and then went to the third floor to see the pop art section which was my favorite. We also saw the Jenny Holtzer exhibition which was very eye opening. Afterwards we took a walk down by the river and made our way to Casco Viejo. 

by Grace Maier

Today we visited the Casco Viejo in Bilbao. Bilbao is an amazing city with a rich history, literally and figuratively. The small winding streets are home to various historical buildings, shops and sights to see. The buildings surrounding Unamuno plaza caught my eye, the reds yellows and greens of the apartments were so unusual and pretty to me.

by Emily McKerrow

APRIL 8th: Bilbao Town Hall, Fine Arts Museum of Bilbao and Welcome party

On Monday morning we took the subway to the Ayuntamiento, or  town hall, of Bilbao. We learned a lot about the government of the Basque Country as well as the history of the area. Our tour was in Spanish, so although it was a bit difficult to understand at times, it was a positive experience to immerse ourselves in the Spanish culture and language. The building was very beautiful and had architecture and decorations ranging from traditional neoclassical style to an Arabic style of architecture called “mudejar”. Next, we went on a long walk down the river to the Fine Arts Museum of Bilbao. It was organized in a very creative way, as each room was characterized by a letter (in alphabetical order) that represented a word which represented a theme of the works in the room. Some of the pieces of artwork were made by Basque artists, while others were made by artists from around the country and the world. It was very interesting and our tour guide was very useful in helping us understand the meanings behind the pieces. 

by Avery Carriuolo

When we got home after our long and fun day at Bilbao, we got ready for our welcome party. We all relaxed for a little bit, and then walked down to the school where it was located. All of the students and their families brought many different types of food for us to eat. But, before eating, we got a big workout because all of the Basque students taught us all of their different dances. At first, we just watched them perform some of their dances and listened to some amazing instruments played by them. Then, all of a sudden, we got pulled up by our partners to try out all of their traditional dances. We danced in circles while holding hands, and even did some partner dancing. It was so much fun and all of the Americans learned (or tried to learn) many of the dances that the Basque students know. After we had done about 5 of their dances, the Americans thought it would be fun to try to show them some of ours. We showed them dances such as the cotton eye joe and the cha cha slide. We danced for a really long time and had to be stopped by the teachers so that we would have time to eat. We also played a lot of fun activities such as soccer, tug of war, and basketball. We then went inside and started eating a lot of food, such as pizza, eggs with ham and cheese, bread, and many desserts, such as brownies and cake. All of the food was delicious and we all ate a lot. We truly felt welcomed after this party and had such a fun time with all of the music, karaoke and dancing. The welcome party set such a good and fun vibe for everyone involved in the exchange and we all bonded together really well as a group.

by Emily Davis

Getxo Scit 2019 Welcome Party

April 7th: WELCOME TO GETXO