Dun Aonghasa,
Inishmore
This prehistoric fort
is one of the Aran
islands’ most famous
attractions. It is perched
on the edge of a
100 metre cliff face
overlooking the ocean
cultural agenda, there is also a significant
business and education infrastructure.
Rowland cites another feather in the city’s
cap: “We have 20 minutes more sunshine
that the rest of Ireland… which is more time
to enjoy the sites in Galway.”
Above Galway and slightly further west
is the heritage town of Westport, which
is a short journey from Killavally, home of
the Countryside School of English. Walpole
relates that the school is located in “quiet
and peaceful surroundings, a perfect
studying environment”. In the village,
students can find a post office, church,
primary school, grocery shop and local pub.
Walpole says, “There are many pubs in
our area in which traditional Irish music is
played. Listening to live music is very popular
amongst our students.” Students also
have the opportunity to go to local primary
schools and introduce their own culture to
young Irish children.
From Westport, students can visit Clare
Island or the west coast islands of Inishturk
and Inishbofin farther afield, all of which
have tiny rural populations of around 200
people and welcome tourists who are keen
to discover the islands’ way of life, ancient
monuments, their natural beauty, deep blue
waters and beaches. Diving is popular here,
as is deep-sea fishing and angling.
Waterford in county Waterford in
the southeast, Ireland’s fifth-largest city,
also boasts beach opportunities that are
not always associated with the Emerald
Isle. Bridget Behal at Waterford English
Language School explains that Waterford
is a “maritime city surrounded by sandy
beaches where watersports and fishing are
on our doorstep”. Easily accessible by air
from the UK’s London Luton Airport or from
“We have a vegetable patch
Brittany in France, Behal says that Waterford
in the school and students
is chosen by students who really want to
enjoy growing organic
vegetables. One morning,
integrate into a local community. They can
they found that cows and
choose either host family or apartment
sheep had broken into the
patch and that their beautiful
accommodation within walking distance
cabbages and lettuces had
of the school and in their free time, one
been eaten, just before
harvesting!”
of the most popular activities is again the
Alan Walpole, Countryside
“traditional small pub where conversation
School of English,
Killavally
dominates, or the more trendy modern
pubs [that] attract the younger crowd”. There is much to do both in
Waterford and in outlying areas. Behal urges all visitors to cycle to
Hook to see the sights and visit the lighthouse, stopping off on the
way to see the haunted Loftus Hall.
Students also like to visit Cork, Kilkenny and Dublin on day trips
and the famous Ring of Kerry area in southwest Ireland is popular
with students keen to make the journey. Meanwhile, Barrett says of
ICSL, “Our location places some of Ireland’s best attractions at close
reach. From the lakes and mountains of Killarney to the awe inspiring
cliffs of Moher, there is so much to see and do here that our students
never want to leave.”
Most visitors to Ireland want to get a feel for the interior beauty
of the country, but they also want to spend some time in Dublin, the
country’s largest city. Linguaviva is located in the centre of Dublin,
within walking distance of shops, pubs and historic sites, such as
Trinity College, where Oscar Wilde studied. Wiebke Asmussen at
the school says students love to go on excursions around Dublin with
a guide that the school employs. “We have a very knowledgeable
and experienced guide who takes the students out a lot,” she says.
Situated on the River Liffey, the city has some charming Georgian
areas and the bustling trendy Temple Bar district to discover, as well
as Christ Church Cathedral and the Monument of Light.
At the Annalivia School of English, which is
located in Dun Laoghaire, 20 minutes from Dublin
city centre, Kevin Kelly reports that the school is a
good option for language students, who avoid having
to commute to school in the rush hour but can easily
get to the city centre on the Dart train. “The area has
developed greatly over the past few years,” he adds.
“Another advantage is that accommodation in Dun
Laoghaire is cheaper than in the centre.”
At Dublin City University, Linda Murphy is also
keen to point out an advantage that they can offer
students. “All of our students have free access
to university facilities,” she says. These include a
Dunquin, County Kerry
The cliffs leading down
computer centre, student social centre and a 25-metre
to Dunquin pier are
swimming pool and sports complex. “The highlight for
home to many breeding
most students is the university campus,” she notes.
birds and also offer
magnificant views of
“Students enjoy the learning-centred environment as
the Dingle Peninsular.
well as all that the campus has to offer, especially the
Boat trips to the nearby
Blasket islands leave
gym and swimming pool.”
regularly from the pier
Agent viewpoint
“Irish people are wellknown for their hospitality and there are fewer
Japanese students in
language schools in Ireland compared with other English speaking
countries. For this reason, Ireland is
very attractive to our students. Our
language agency specialises in Ireland, so all of our clients go there.
Galway city is the most popular because of its charming atmosphere.
The city is known as “the heart of
Irish culture”. Horse riding, Irish dancing, and fishing are popular activities
among our students. In addition, many
students like to listen to traditional
Irish music in pubs. The best kept
secret about Ireland is the wild and
beautiful landscape in the west of Ireland. And people in that area are very
friendly toward foreigners.”
Hyu Muto, Ireland Ryugaku Club,
Ireland
“Our clients choose Ireland because Irish people
have a reputation for
friendliness and hospitality, also it is only two and a half hours
from Spain. I think the euro is a big advantage in comparison to UK pounds.
We don’t have to exchange money,
moreover we can easily figure out the
difference in prices, which is slightly
less than the UK currency. Sixty per
cent of our clients choose Ireland over
other destinations, because Ireland
is our speciality. The most popular
area is Dublin because most people have heard about it, but in the
last few years, destinations such
as Galway, Cork, Limerick and Killarney have become much more
popular, even smaller places like
Wexford, Waterford and Sligo are
receiving more students.”
Jaime Rodríguez, Irlanda En
Red, Spain
Language Travel Magazine 41
Madrid’s magic
A busy city centre scene
(main picture)
With a bounty of wonderful art galleries, a non-stop nightlife and a population
renowned for being loud and chatty, Madrid promises language travellers a lively
experience, as GILLIAN EVANS finds out.
adrid is a big vibrant city like
London or Paris and students
choose to study here because
it is the capital of Spain,” states Mercedes
Guerrero from Tandem Escuela Internacional.
“It is a city where people of any age can find
things to do, see and enjoy.”
Indeed, the capital city of Spain is a lively
energetic city with world class museums
and art galleries, beautiful parks and an
unstoppable nightlife, as well as a population
renowned for talking. All this makes it an
ideal language travel destination for those
wanting to learn Spanish and get to know the
Spanish people.
Juan Manuel Sampere from Estudio
Sampere agrees that Madrid appeals to
students of all ages. “We welcome more
M
Palacio de Cristal,
Parque del Buen Retiro
Located in the city
centre park, this
recently restored
glasshouse was inspired
by the Crystal Palace in
London and designed
in 1887 by Ricardo
Velázquez Bosco
42 February 2006
2005
than 1,800 students per year to our school in Madrid and the age
group is very wide as well as their reasons for coming to Madrid,” he
relates. “Madrid is a very open city with many foreigners and many
people from other areas of Spain and visitors feel welcomed. Not to
mention Real Madrid [football team], which is a big attraction.”
Madrid has a population of around three million and, although
predominantly a modern city, its heart is made up of attractive
medieval buildings, winding alleys and 18th-century squares,
including the breathtaking Plaza Mayor, which boasts 114 arches and
337 balconies. Scattered all around the city are bars and restaurants
with outdoor terraces, ideal for watching the world go by, and despite
being a fair distance from Andalusia, the home of flamenco dancing,
Madrid is, according to Sampere, “a capital city for Flamenco, like
Chicago is for Jazz”, and many schools introduce students to this and
other facets of Madrid life in their activity programmes.
Domenico Oppizzio at Enforex says they encourage students
to get the most out of their stay in Madrid by organising “as many
activities as possible such as walking tours, Flamenco and culture
lessons, nights out and weekend trips”.
There are certainly plenty of cultural attractions in Madrid, too.
The Palacio Real boasts more rooms than any other European palace;
an armoury housing a collection of weapons dating from the 15th
century; and a library with one of the biggest collections of books
and manuscripts in the world. The city also has three important art
galleries: El Prado, Madrid’s biggest tourist attraction, which boasts
one of the world’s oldest and greatest collections of art; the Centro
Nacional de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid’s leading modern art gallery and
PHOTOGRAPHS: ROGER HARRIS
city focus
most famous for housing Picasso’s
huge masterpiece, Guernica; and
Coleccion Thyssen-Bornemisza,
home to what many believe to be the
world’s finest private art collection.
These three, according to Oppizzio,
are high on the list of things to do
for students, although he adds that
one of the highlights for many is to
see Goya’s colourful fresco on Ermita
de San Antonio de la Florida. This
Santiago Bernabeu
Stadium
Home to the Real
Madrid football team,
this stadium is easy to
reach and impressive to
visit. A tour takes in the
pitch, dressing rooms,
players tunnel and the
presidential box
small church was built by an Italian,
Felipe Fontana, between 1792 and 1798,
and decorated by Goya.
The San Antonio hermitage itself is the
centre of an odd tradition: as San Antonio
is the patron saint of sweethearts, on June
13 each year, local girls go there to pray
for a boyfriend for the year ahead. The
girls put their hands into the font, where
13 pins have been placed, and the number of pins that stick to them
indicates how many boyfriends they will have that year.
Putting Madrid’s many cultural attractions aside, there are plenty
of other pastimes to entertain students while in Madrid. Guerrero
says, “In their free time, during the day, students like to go to the
parks for a walk or to go shopping. There are also a lot of terraces
where they can sit and drink something with friends.” And Sampere
notes, “Students are very surprised by the number of parks and trees
in the city.”
Madrid’s
most central and popular park is Parque
del Buen Retiro, known as El Retiro, a mix
of formal gardens and wide-open spaces.
Guerrero mentions a trip to El Rastro flea
market as being a worthwhile experience for
students, as well as going to a Real Madrid
football match.
Madrid is a city that never sleeps, and
the streets remain busy with people of all
ages and street entertainers throughout the
night. “What often happens is that people in
the streets or even in the metro play music.
Once, two musicians were on the Place
Santa Anna and a group of about 100 people
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Language Travel Magazine 43
Agent viewpoint
“Madrid is known as a very cosmopolitan city,
with a wide variety of places to visit and things
to enjoy. There really is something for everyone,
from the famous El Prado art gallery to the
Bernabeu football stadium, beautiful parks,
trendy bars and restaurants, and fashionable
boutiques. Madrid is a very affordable city, despite the fact that it is the capital. Students are
very impressed by the friendliness of the local
people and their cosmopolitan outlook. They
feel welcome in the city, and also comment on
how safe they feel, even when they are out and
about late at night.”
Victoria Jones, Apple Languages, UK
“Our clients who choose Madrid do so because
they want to study in the capital of Spain. They
want to live in a big city with lots of restaurants,
clubs, culture, shopping, etc. Students enjoy
visiting the museums, shopping, eating good
food and going out at night. They like to eat
tapas and drink sangria and good red wine. In
general, they like the people and the fact that
the Spanish people tend to be more talkative
than the Swedes. On the negative side, quite
a lot of students have been robbed because
they are not used to the threat of pickpockets.”
Sofia Henningsson, SI-Sprakresor, Sweden
“Madrid is a lovely city with lots to see and do.
Our students always enjoy visiting the Museo
del Prado, Museo de Reina Sofia and Parque
del Buen Retiro. The local tapas bars are often
a highlight for students, although there are also
some trendy restaurants in Chueca square.
Students generally find the people to be really
helpful and friendly.”
Sarah Gooding, Cactus Language, UK
T
AGEN
FREE ODATION
M
M
ACCO
listened to them and
enjoyed their music,”
recounts Guerrero,
adding, “I like the
atmosphere in the
streets in the nights
... [especially] with a
glass of Rioja.”
There are plenty
of evening activities for students to consider, aside from the many
bars and nightclubs that can be found throughout the city. “At night,
Madrid offers a lot of possibilities like the cinema, restaurants, bars,
theatre, opera [and concerts],” says Guerrero. The culinary range of
Madrid’s eateries is also expansive. They offer every regional style
of Spanish cooking as well as international cuisine. “You can go out
for dinner in the famous Restaurant ‘Bazaar’ in the Calle de Libertad
or a pizza in the Restaurant/Trattoria ‘La Pulcinella’. There is a street
(Huertas) full of bars where students go,” says Guerrero, adding that
there are also some good vegetarian restaurants in the city.
For a truly madrileño experience, there are the discobares, which
start filling up from about 11pm and stay open until 2am, followed
by the discotecas, which get lively at around 1am. According to
Sampere, one of the most popular nightclubs for their students is
Palacio de Gaviria, which holds parties on Thursday nights - “a must
for our students”, he says.
To round off a night out in Madrid, Guerrero suggests heading
for one of the city’s chocolaterías, the most famous of which is San
Ginés, which was established in 1894 and serves delicious chocolate
con churros until 7.30am.
Plaza Puerta del Sol
This central square is a
popular meeting place
and busy throughout
the night. It marks the
heart of historic Madrid
and journey distances
are measured from
here. Three statues also
adorn the square
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44 February 2005
Cursos Intensivos de Español en España y Ecuador
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ESPAÑA
Madrid
Five decades of experience
Our reputation and success is built on our experience:
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We have short and long-term Spanish courses for all
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Your accommodation, whether in a Spanish private
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www.sampere.es
Estudio Sampere
INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION IN SMALL GROUPS SINCE 1956
SAMPERE MADRID, MAIN OFFICE:
Lagasca, 16 - 28001 Madrid - ESPAÑA - Tel.: 00+34 91 431 4366 - Fax: 00+34 91 575 9509
E-mail: [email protected]
Estudio Sampere welcomes you to MADRID for the 23rd IALC Workshop
APRIL 27 to APRIL 30 - 2006
www.ialc.org