The Saltus Spanish trip to Barcelona, Spain, during the recent half-term break, was one of the most incredible and fascinating experiences that I've ever had. The beautiful architecture, good food and amazing shopping all made it a great trip. I made new friends and put my Spanish vocabulary to the test.

Of all the places that we visited, my favourite was a huge church called the Sagrada Familia. Its construction started in 1882; however, it's so large and complex, that it's not expected to be finished for roughly 20 years. I particularly enjoyed gazing at the elaborate and creative designs on the exterior of the church. Inside, there are a lot of intricate and nature-inspired designs. Sagrada Familia is Spanish for the Holy Family, and the church was designed by architect Antoni Gaudí who was famous for the distinct and unique style of his designs. The church wasn't the only building that Gaudí designed. We also went to Park Guell, which used to be the home of Gaudí. The property was decorated beautifully with mosaic tiles and Hansel and Gretel style houses that Gaudí also designed. People would even eat lunch and buy things from little stands while listening to people singing, jumping and playing music.

Another highlight of the trip was our visit to Montserrat, a mountain in Catalonia. We had to wake up very early in the morning so that we could have more time in the mountains. The coach ride there was a little nerve-wracking. My friends and I had to hold our breath as the long coach made sharps turns around the edge of the mountains. Once we arrived, we explored the quiet and solemn monastery, Santa Maria de Montserrat. We had to be absolutely silent as we walked through the halls. The monastery is home to the Virgin of Montserrat, which is one of Europe's Black Madonnas (statues of the Virgin Mary). The Black Madonna is also deemed to be the miracle of Europe. One of the teachers on the trip told us that if you touched the feet of the statue, all of your wishes would come true. It also was a lot of fun going on my first ride in a cable car, suspended high above the mountains. I was afraid to go at first, but eventually, with some help from my friends, I decided to try it.

While I wouldn't consider myself a football (soccer) fanatic, for some people our visit to Camp Nou Stadium (often called Nou Camp in Spanish and English) was the best part of our trip. It has the capacity to hold over 98,000 people. That's more than the entire population of Bermuda. It's the largest stadium in Europe and the 10th largest in the world! I particularly enjoyed going to one of Europe's oldest restaurants, Los Caracoles (which is Spanish for the snails). It was built in area called the Gothic Quarter around 1786. The great food and authentic music made it a great night.

Overall, the Saltus trip to Barcelona was a fun, exciting yet cultural experience that I'll always remember.