Proctor en Segovia students spend the term traveling throughout Spain on day trips and overnight excursions, visiting historical sites that bring their classroom studies to life. Recent trips to El Escorial and Andalucía allowed students to walk through buildings they had studied in history class, identifying architectural details and understanding historical context in ways classroom study cannot replicate.
But as program Co-Director Shelby Wischan shared on Instagram, excursions are about more than curriculum enrichment and hands-on learning.
"What we don’t spend enough time talking about are the quiet, in-between moments on excursions. The morning sunrise we see carrying our bags to the train station in Córdoba. The camaraderie that comes from hustling to catch the bus. The way we get to look out the window as the world zooms by, and we realize we’re just a small part of it all. The conversations standing in line for the flamenco show. The card games on the train and the jam sessions in the car. The way we miss our homestay families when we are on the road."
Mia '26, Freya '26, and Libby '27 reflect on how visiting the Mezquita in Córdoba, the Alhambra in Granada, and the Real Sitio (Royal Site) of San Lorenzo de El Escorial deepened their understanding of Spain's layered, complex, and fascinating history, and Islamic and Christian cultural influences.
Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
Mia G. '26
One of the most recent excursions we have been on has been the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. The excursion was a lot of fun. We left to go in Shelby's car, and we had a rented van. I drove in Shelby's car with her and the rest of the girls. We had fun and we talked, some of us slept for a little while. And we arrived and walked 5 minutes to the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. We waited in line and finally went through security and got our tickets scanned.
We go in and talk as a group before the tour, and we set a time and place to meet back up. We were given an index card with the name of a place in the building we were to focus on. Freya and I had the same place. So we walked around listening to the audio tour together and seeing all these beautiful sights. And that is probably one of my favorite core memories, other than us sitting waiting for everyone else outside, and it just starts pouring rain in the middle of the courtyard. It was beautiful. Then everyone met up and we walked back to the cars and drove back to Segovia.
This kind of learning is my favorite because you are actually experiencing things and really getting to see what you're learning, understand it, and have a bigger appreciation for it.
~ Mia G. '26
So I have been loving the excursions and trips we've been on to see amazing things.
Andalucía Excursion
Freya '26 - Córdoba, Granada, and Salobreña
This past excursion, we took the train from Madrid down to the region of Andalucía, first to Córdoba for a night to see the Mosque-Cathedral. It was such an impressive building, filled with Islamic architecture and newly added Catholic features, like a cathedral. Arabic writing was carved into some of the walls, which was so interesting, and we were able to point out الله, meaning Allah, the most common word to represent God in Islamic belief. The streets of Córdoba were narrow, and most of the buildings were white. We also went to a Flamenco show; the dance was loud, but mesmerizing, and the musicians worked with ease.
The following morning, we arose early and took another train to Granada, further south. The Alhambra was on our list of places to visit, so we took the time to walk its grounds and gardens. The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex fully built with Islamic architecture. There was Arabic writing on the walls here as well, but significantly more than the Mosque-Cathedral in Córdoba. The building was so well preserved and absolutely gorgeous inside.
Our final full day in Andalusia was primarily spent on the coast of Salobreña, where we enjoyed cliff-jumping and swimming in the ocean. Additionally, before the long travel day ahead of us on Sunday, we explored the Caves of Sacromonte, preparing us for the coming week, where we will study the story of Carmen in literature class.
The weekend excursions are particularly exciting because we get to immerse ourselves in a totally different area; this trip was especially good to use our historical knowledge of the Islamic architecture when walking through the Mosque-Cathedral in Córdoba and the Alhambra in Granada.
Many of us would have never known to look for Arabic writing in the walls or the specific features of Islamic architecture had we not learned of it beforehand, allowing us to appreciate the structures much more because we understood the effort put into each section. Compared to a traditional classroom experience, where you cannot relate textbook material to real-world settings, these excursions connect everything we learn in class.
~ Freya '26
Libby '27 - Experiencing Moorish Architecture
This past week, we traveled to Córdoba and Granada in Andalusia, southern Spain. Something that I was looking forward to before coming to Spain were the opportunities that this program offers. The program has been everything I have hoped for so far, and the excursions have been extremely fun.
Our first stop was Córdoba, where we were able to see the Flamenco dance and an example of Moorish architecture, which is prominent in southern Spain. Our first visit was the Mezquita, which is a Mosque-Cathedral. The architecture here is nothing like I've ever seen before, exhibiting red and white striped arches throughout the whole entrance and beautiful scripture work in the walls. We were fortunate enough to get a historical background from Maggie, who came and talked to us about the Muslim influence in southern Spain and the hidden history behind it. Córdoba itself was filled with small, narrow streets and white buildings. The city is beautiful, much different than northern Spain.
The next day, we traveled farther south into Granada, where we were able to stay at a beautiful hostel that overlooked a good portion of the city. Here, we went to the Alhambra, which holds historical importance between the expulsion of Islamic culture and how Spain is today. The Alhambra, similar to the Mezquita, is beautifully built with carved Arabic scripture and intricate details in every wall. With Maggie (friend of Proctor en Segovia and guest history teacher), we learned a common Arabic saying: "There is no victor but Allah (God)", and we were able to recognize it in the walls.
On our final day in Granada, we drove an hour south and spent the day on the Salobreña beaches, soaking up the last bit of summer in October. The weather was wonderful, the water was warm, and there was a perfect rock to jump off of. It was a perfect day to relax before a long travel day on Sunday.
So far, I have enjoyed all of our day trips and overnight excursions. The excursions help to immerse us in different Spanish cultures by visiting and learning about different areas of Spain. The excursions help to break up a schedule that can sometimes feel overwhelming.
Our recent trip to the south, in particular, helped us to understand the historical impact that the Islamic culture had, specifically on the style of architecture. Maggie did an exceptional job preparing us for the kind of intricate details we'd be seeing, and being in the building really helped to further my understanding of what went into creating such a complex style. The excursions help to take what we learn in the classroom to the real world, with real life examples.
~ Libby '27
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