The holy Galician city of Santiago de Compostela located in the far north west of Spain is a popular destination for both study and for an appreciation of history. The city is medium in size with a population of just under 100,000 inhabitants and in 2000 it was named the “European City of Culture” for that year. The primary attraction is the history associated with the city, which dates back to the 4th Century and is the ending point of the “el Camino de Santiago” pilgrimage. Legend has it that the remains of St. James were taken by boat from Jerusalem to Northern Spain and were buried on the land that is now the city of Santiago de Compostela. Each year close to 100,000 Christian pilgrims journey to the city from all over Europe, and some from other parts of the world, with many walking the route. The most popular pilgrim route is from the French boarder down to the city and many pilgrims carry on their journey through to the Galician coastline. Also, the symbol for the pilgrimage is a scallop shell, which is symbolised on many walls within the city. Besides being a holy city, Santiago de Compostela is fascinating in many other ways. Architecturally speaking, the city has a variety of buildings from different architectonic movements, which is part of the reason why UNESCO included the city on its list of world monuments. Moreover, it has a real student feel with its 45,000 students (approximately 30% of the city’s inhabitants) giving the city a youthful and vivacious atmosphere as well as ensuring a varied nightlife. Separated from the rest of Spain by a chain of rugged mountains, the province of Galicia is unique in just about every respect. It is a mountainous region with dense woods, with fast-flowing rivers in the valleys and an untamed coastline that reminds one of the Norwegian fjords. “Gallego” is spoken in Galicia, but at our partner school, you of course learn authentic Castilian.

Learn Spanish at small and personal language school
The Spanish school used in Santiago de Compostela is the Academia Iria Flavia. The school is set in a historic building close to the cathedral and the city centre. It is a small language institute (a maximum of 50 students in the summer) with 5 classrooms each with the appropriate facilities for developing Spanish. Also there is a well-stocked library with Spanish literature, computer access and a cafeteria. The school also caters for many Spaniards who are also learning a foreign language, most notably English. The accommodation provided is in the form of a host family, a shared apartment and student residence. Staying with a host family is a great way to improve your spanish and become immersed in the culture, whilst living with students is a really good way of meeting people and practice what has been learned at school. All three choices are equally popular with students.

Social Programme
Santiago de Compostela enjoys a cooler and more humid climate than the rest of Spain, which can be a great relief especially in the scorching heat of the summer months. Its climate aside, this region is the sunniest of all in the north of Spain. The Galician region is particularly suitable for horse-riding, walks and mountaineering. Apart from the language courses the school regularly organises activities like tapas trips, cookery workshops and exchange programmes with Spanish students (intercambio). Because of its proximity to this region, Portugal is a favourite destination for excursions.

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Impression
What a beautiful city! Especially the cathedral is really impressive. You don´t see only tourists, but also real pilgrims who are kissing the statues in the cathedral with great passion. The atmosphere at school is really friendly and personal, but of course that´s because it is a relatively small school.

Christos Panagoulakos, Greece.