Alhadra High School is located in Almería, South Spain. It is both a Government High School and a Polytechnic for girls and boys. The students age range goes from 11 to 18.
The name ‘Alhadra’ stands for ‘green’ in arabic language. That was the name given by the arabs in the Middle Ages to a fountain found near the school, by the River Andarax. It provided water to the old town called ‘Almariyat’ and its outskirts. ‘Alhadra’ refers probably to the fact that the fountain was sorrounded by thick vegetation.
Students in our school can learn two modern second languages, apart from Spanish: English and French. The English Department also organizes student exchange travels almost every year in association with the Longdendale Community Language College, Manchester, England.
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Longdendale CLC – IES Alhadra 2012 Exchange
English students from Longdendale Community Language College, Manchester (UK) have visited us from Saturday 17th to Friday 23rd, for the 2012 Exchange Travel. Once again, it has been a rich and unforgettable experience for students, teachers and families. Weather was really crazy this year, even, it snowed!
Welcome to Almeria!
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CRAZY SKETCHES!!!!!!!!!
What you are going to watch below is the result of crazy students using strange kind of English, music, a camcorder and lots of imagination. They belong to the 2nd Sign Language Class, at IES Alhadra, Almería, Spain, and this work is part of their class project called ” Crazy Sketches”. Take a look and try to keep yourself in a calm and sane state of mind!!…
(An anonymous teacher)
Let´s begin with The News and see what´s happening around the world:
Now, after the news, it is time to relax with an amusing videoclip with the translation of a popular Spanish pop song from the 80´s:
Journalism & Research: The famous Wisestreet Team investigates what’s happening right now at Alhadra School and sorroundings:
More music from the 80’s, now it is Queen’s turn:
And just to finish with this mad selection of sketches let’s go shopping without living your living-room. Find the best bargains and purchases!!!:
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.By 2nd Sign Language Class
A MOMENT IN TIME
Students from 2nd ILSE Group have worked on a class project called “A Moment in Time” where each group of pupils has chosen a famous photo or picture and have searched for the real story of its origins. It has been an interesting task and the results have been equally surprising, as this article shows. The magic of paintings and photos relies on the capture of moments of time, as if they were frozen for eternity…
Javier Carrasco. Head of Department of English
The Persistence of Memory
It is a picture by the Spanish painter Salvador Dalí, whose name is The Persistence of Memory, also known as The Melting Clocks, painted in 1931. It was made by the technique of oil on canvas. It is a surrealist work. It is kept at the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York.
Description:
The picture shows the bay of Port Lligat at dawn. The landscape is simple, we can see the sea in the background and a small mountain on the right.
Dali was inspired by Camembert cheese when he added the clocks to the painting, saying that the clocks were “melting, extravagant,lonely and paranoic-critical.”
There are three melting and deformed clocks:
– One of the clocks is hanging in the balance of a tree branch.
-Further down in the center of the picture, another clock appears, on a face with long eyelids, inspired on a rock at Cape Creus.
– The third one is, perhaps, about to slide down from a wall. On this clock there is a fly and on the pocket watch there are some ants.
Intention of the artist:
The artist tries to offer a particular perception of time and space, and the way memory usually works, like melting forms which adapt to circunstances.
Isa, Sheila & Mª del Mar
The Kiss Of Time Square
(Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1945)
The photo was taken on 14th August 1945, in Times Square. People were very funny in the middle of the street because the World War II had finished.
In the photography there were two young people, a man and a woman. The young man, a sailor, was wearing the American Navy uniform. Today, nobody knows him, his name is still anonymous.
The young woman, a twenty- seven years old woman, was wearing a white nurse dress. The man was kissing the girls he met in the street.
After twenty-five years, in 1970, the young woman recognized her face in that photography.
The photographer was Alfred Eisenstaedt who worked for Life magazine. He became famous because of this photograph.
The photo has two different perspectives, as you can see above.
Cristina, Rosi & Isi
Lunch Atop A Skyscraper
The photo is “Lunch atop a Skyscraper” or Lunch A top a Skyscraper. It was taken in 1932 during the construction of the GE Building at Rockefeller Center, New York, by Charles C. Ebbets.
We can see 11 workers eating their lunch in it, but the strange thing is where they are sitting, on a girder hundreds of feet above the ground. Ebbets took the photo on September 29, 1932 and appeared in the New York Herald Tribune in the Sunday supplement of photography in October 2. The workers were building the floor 69 of the GE Building during the last months of construction.
To us it seems incredible that these workers are there so quiet, having lunch in the open air, laughing, smoking and talking, at a height of more than 150 meters. It is incredible that no so many accidents happened at this time, when no so much safety control for workers was taken.
Presently, this photo has been used for advertising campaigns. Here are some examples:
Maite, Virginia & Alicia.
Drawing Hands
Maurits Cornelis Escher was born in 17 June 1898 and he died in 27 March 1972, he was a graphic artist. He is known for his impossible constructions.
He was born in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. He was a sickly child. He was excellent at drawing. He also took carpentry and piano lessons until he was thirteen years old. He studied architecture and decorative art.
Drawing hands is a lithograph first printed in January 1948. It describes a sheet of paper where two hands rise facing each other and in the paradoxical act of drawing one another into existence. Escher often used paradoxes in his work; this is one of the most popular examples.
Asun, Elena & Dulce
The Birth of Venus
Author: Sandro Bottichelli, a Quattrocento Italian painter.
Year: 1482-1484.
It is kept in the“ Uffizi, Firenze” gallery.
Venus has emerged from the sea on a shell that is pushed over the beach by the breath of the winged gods while flowers are raining over her. On the sand one, of the Hours or Nymphs is waiting for her with a purple robe. According to the myth, Venus, goddess of love, was born because Chronos cut off the genitals of his father Uranus, then he threw the genitals over the sea. The scene presented by Botticelli is the right moment when the goddess arrives from the sea, emerging delicately naked on a shell over a green sea. Her long and golden hair covers her body and she hides her breast with one of her arms.
Venus is pushed by a couple of gods, they are Zephyr, god of the wind and Aura, goddess of the breeze. They are strongly embraced, they represent the union of material and spiritual things. Around them roses are raining, these flowers, according to the myth, will become living beings.
At the sea shore, on the sand, one of the seasons goddess, Spring, wearing a flowery dress, is waiting for her with a flower cloak to put on her. She is wearing a roses belt on her waist and a flower garland round her neck that symbolize eternal love. Her white dress represents the spring, season of rebirth.
There is a little forest of blooming orange trees, this symbolize the Hesperides’ sacred garden according to Greek mythology. A remarkable thing are the clothes, which are folded.
Sara, Esperanza & Juanfran
Death Of Marat
The picture is about Marat. He was a famous scientist and writer during the French Revolution.
He was murdered in 1793, in his bathroom. He suffered from a skin disease, and he needed to take a bath everytime. One day , while he was writing in the bath, one woman visited him, her name was Carlota Corday, she worked for the antirevolucionist, and she stabbed Marat.She laughted at him, and she told Marat that she was a revolicionist too. Marat received a mortal stab, and we can see it in the picture. Marat bleeded to death. His best friend, David, made this picture in his honor.
In the picture we can see some elements like the last pamphlet that Marat wrote before he died, and we can find the letter which madame Corday gave him. Her name appears in it.
A lot of important painters have made pictures about Marat’s death, but this is the most famous.
María & Conde
THE BILINGUAL CLASS (1º ESO)
Hello! This is the Bilingual Group at IES Alhadra, Almería, Spain.We are in 1º ESO level. We want you to know about us! This is our first classroom project. Take a look, please!
*Blue Team
Hi! I’m Andy.I’m in class 7c.
Sukayna plays basketball in the afternoon.
Diana likes hip-hop.
And she likes chats too.
Mari sings hip-hop every day.
Her favourite singer is Jeydon Wale.
We are the blue team.
We’re twelve years old.
It´s so break to stay in this class.
Our best moments are there.
I’m Andy Petrova and this is my team: Sukayna, Diana and Mari Luz.
*Orange Team
Hello! This is the Orange Team.
We are Jose Luis, Adrian, Carla, and Lorenzo.
We are twelve years old but Adrian is eleven years old.
Adrian has three brothers and one sister, Carla has no brothers or sisters, Lorenzo has one brother and one sister, and Jose Luis has one brother.
Carla likes swimming , Adrian likes drawing , both Lorenzo and Jose Luis like football.
Adrian likes Spanish.
Carla likes Maths.
Lorenzo likes Physical education.
Jose Luis likes Natural Science.
*Red Team
Hello! This is the red Team
we are Mahmud, Yassine, Abrahán and Ahmed.
We are twelve years old.
Mahmud has two brothers.
Abraham has two brothers.
Yassin has four sisters.
Ahmed has one sister.
We all like playing football.
We all like P.E and Maths as well.
See you soon!
*Green Team
Hi! This is the Green Team.We are Qiang Hao,Miguel Ángel,César and David.
We are twelve years old. Qiang Hao has one sister and one brother. Miguel Ángel is thirteen years old. He has two sisters. César is twelve years old. He has one sister. David is twelve years old. He has one sister.
Qiang Hao is from China and he likes playing table tennis. Miguel Angel likes playing with Playstation 2. César likes playing football. David likes technology.
Now you know about us and can be our friends! See you soon!
Bye, bye!
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EXCHANGE TRAVEL ALMERÍA-MANCHESTER 2010
By Juan Avilés
On April 24th 2010 a group of students from Alhadra High School set off for Manchester, in order to carry out the second part of the Exchange Programme that has taken place between Longdendale Community Language College and our high school this year. Our English partners came in February and they had to cope with lousy rainy weather. For that reason we were thrilled by the nice weather we found as soon as we got off the plane. Two vehicles which were supposed to be taxis were waiting for us at the car park, located at the back of the airport. We divided up into two groups and were taken to the accommodation. It was a cosy hostel built for sea cadets’ instruction. The girls were given a room with triple bunk beds and the boys were assigned a storage room in which there were several metal bed frames with very thin mattresses on them, this was due to the fact that we should have travelled to England a week before but it was impossible because all the airports in the UK were closed thanks to the ash cloud that threatened to destroy aircraft engines. As the boys were in the storage room we had to ask for pillows and sheets and that is how we managed to make it into a nice place to sleep and chat. After that, Miss Kirby, who has done a great job organizing this wonderful trip to Manchester, came to the accommodation to welcome us and to take us to Manchester by train. Fortunately, the train station happened to be near the accommodation so we didn´t have to walk far.
The train took half an hour to get to Manchester and we were all tired of standing up on the train, it was quite a relief to be told to get off the train. We still had to walk a little longer till we could meet our English friends at Piccadilly Gardens. Our teachers gave us some free time to go shopping and eat something (we were so hungry). We went into a CD shop called HMV and we were amazed by the price of CDs, DVDs, and films. Loli (one of the students) was aware of this, I suppose that’s why she bought 4 CDs and a special edition of an English series. There is not much more to say about Manchester apart from that it is an urban city, there are plenty of people and it was a Saturday afternoon. That being the case, we saw lots of Manchester United fans going to Old Trafford to support their team in the Premier League (too bad they didn´t win!). The last thing I remember about Manchester was the ride on the Big Eye, a big wheel situated in the centre of the city from which you can see the whole city when you are at the top. It was a bit expensive, but it was worth it. We left the city by six and we headed to our friends’ houses because it was time to have something for tea with our English families. Many of us had fish and chips, a typical English take-away dish although many Chinese restaurants make it as well. It consists of haddock fillets coated in a mixture of beer, egg yolk, folded egg white and a pinch of salt and then put into a frying pan. It is served with chipped potatoes with salt and vinegar on them. Yummy!
Sunday was the family day. Some of us went to their school and played basketball, others went shopping or visited a farm and the rest of us spent the day in different ways. It is worth mentioning the party that we had in a cricket club. English families brought many things to eat. The problem was that we had just had tea and we were all full but we managed to try some food because we appreciated the effort they made. The reason why we were all so full is that the English eat more heavily in the evenings.
They normally have a sandwich or packed lunch at lunchtime and then it´s dinner that is the main meal. It was a very nice evening. We enjoyed chatting, laughing, joking and taking photos.
On Monday we were taken to their school and attended two lessons. We found it strange that they had twenty minutes every day for counselling and discussing tutorial issues. They were in the revision time before the GCSEs (exams that they have to pass before going to college). Next we went on a tour to Old Trafford. We enjoyed it a lot despite everything being explained in English. The pitch is wonderful, it´s so green and well-cared for. The patterns on the seating looked striking, the red and white colours just jump out at you. Moreover, the team have got many trophies and the history of Manchester United is very interesting for any football fan – whichever team you support. The tour lasted a little longer than we expected so we didn’t have a great deal of time to buy much in the Manchester Megastore, we did buy some gifts though. We went to our friends´ houses when we came back and the majority of us went to a public swimming pool.
On Tuesday we attended four more lessons and we left for Liverpool, Miss Kirby’s hometown. She had arranged a ferry ride down the river Mersey. We got marvellous views over both sides of Liverpool. One of them is the modern side filled with tall buildings representing the commercial business which takes place there and the other is the green side where traditional houses lie. When the ride was over, we went to the Beatles museum. This place is based on the story of the famous group. It tells of when they first met and how they became famous, the pubs where they played in England and their separation as a music band. Liverpool also has a big wheel that we could only see from a distance, since we were in a hurry. The fastest place to have tea that we could think of was Mc Donald’s. We can say that we tasted every kind of food while we were in England.
The last day was meant to be relaxing, peaceful and lovely and so the landscapes we gazed at were just what we were after. Their Maths teacher showed us round the Peak District, a natural protected area famous for its variety of animals and plants. We had an entertaining walk through the forest and he took us to the edge of the forest where we were shown an old tower that we all liked. Afterwards, we went to a little village called Castleton. At first we wanted to visit the castle but it was so expensive that we thought twice and changed our minds. We preferred feeding the ducks which were wandering around us. Miguel had a good time catching some ducks and throwing them up in the air. Time went by very quickly and we had to go meet our English friends at school. It was time to say goodbye to the families and thank them for all they had done for us. Before the final goodbye we went bowling for a while and then had dinner in an Indian restaurant. To my mind, eating at the Indian was a new experience that did not disappoint me at all. I had never tried Indian food and I must confess it is great. For those who have never tasted it, my advice is that you should definitely give it a try. It is spicy but you can ask for mild food anyhow.
Later on, we were told that we were leaving for the accommodation. It was then when some of the students started to cry. It always happens. The longer time you stay abroad the more difficult it is to come back home.
We hope to see them again very soon. Who knows?
Video by Ángela García Espejo
ALMERÍA:
A TOURIST GUIDE FOR STUDENTS
INTRODUCTION.
Students from 1º Bachillerato level have been working enthusiastically on a class project about the town of Almería. As a result, they have published the following tourist guide, thought to be useful for students and young people in general visiting our town. They want to dedicate it to those British students from Longdendale School, Manchester (UK), who are coming soon for the Exchange Travel 2010 ( Feb 12th-17th). So, please read carefully and enjoy!
Javier Carrasco (Department of English)
HISTORY.
Almería has been an inhabited place since the Neolithic Age. The romans called it “Portus Magnus” (Big Harbour) and the arabs changed its name to ‘al-Mariyyāt Bayyāna’ (Bayyāna -town name- watchtower) in the 10th century. Then the name changed to al-Mariyyāt, and when the christian Catholic Monarchs conquered it in the 15th century it was called ‘Almería’. Almeria has been strongly linked to the sea from the very beginning.
CLIMATE
Almería has one of the sunniest, warmest and driest climates in Europe. Almería enjoys about 3000 hours of sunshine annually with around 320 sunny days a year on average (6 hours of sun in January and 12 in August). Almería has an average annual temperature of around 19 °C (66 °F) and only 25-30 wet days a year on average. During the winter, daily maximum temperatures tend to stay around 14–20 °C (57–68 °F). During the warmest month – August, there are clear sunny skies and no rainfall. This means that going swimming in the sea is possible at just about any time of the year.
MUSEUMS
In Almeria there are two impressive museums. You can see a lot of pictures and enormous galleries that contain art of various famous painters.
MUSEO DE ALMERIA
Created in 1933, It has turned into one of the most important museums of Almeria, of real cultural and historical value, in fact, in the decade of the 60’s its patrimony and the building itself were rewarded. In the year 1995 it was re-opened, after having remained closed since the year 1991, due to problems in its structure. At present it is located in a modern building, whose construction has finished at the expense of the Department of Education, Culture and Sport.
CENTRO DE ARTE MUSEO DE ALMERÍA
It is located in a Neo-Mudejar style building, aesthetically similar to the Railway Station. It was built in 1927 from a project made by architect Guillermo Langle Rubio. Throughout the year, the “CAMA” organize temporary exhibitions of contemporary artists, although sometimes welcomes the works of great figures of art history. Its beautiful facilities are also occasionally used for conducting lectures, book presentations and other cultural activities.
SIGHTSEEING
La Alcazaba.
In Almería you can visit as well as the Alcazar, an enormous Moorish fortress that once rivalled the Alhambra in Granada for its gardens and palaces. Huge walls enclose the ruins of a mosque that later became a Christian chapel. The hilltop location offers quite a breathtaking, birdseye view of the port city and its surroundings. The castle dominates the city and sits in the hills towering over the Barrio de la Chanca area of Almeria, including the stunning gothic cathedral.
Cathedral
Almeria’s cathedral is at the heart of the old part of the city and was rebuilt in 1524 to replace a predecessor wrecked by the earthquake in 1522. The architecture is a combination of Gothic and Renaissance, its fortress like appearance was due to constant raids by North African pirates. The north facade is an elaborate mid 16th century design by Juan de Orea.
The spacious interior has a Gothic ribbed ceiling and makes use of jasper and local marble in some of its baroque and neo-classical trimmings. The chapel behind the main altar contains the tomb of Bishop Villalan, founder of the cathedral, and is another work of de Orea, as are the choir with its stalls made out of walnut wood, and the Sacristia Mayor with its fine carved stone roof, windows and arches.
The English Cable
It was built in 1904 on the Almadrabillas beach. It is an example of the iron architecture from the beginning of the 20th century. This structure was used, over a long period of time, in the loading, transportation, storage and embarkation of minerals extracted from the Alquife iron mines in Granada. It was designed by a pupil of Eiffel, who built the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris.
“Zapillo” Sea Promenade
The promenade is next to the sea and goes from the Zapillo Beach to the University of Almería. It has several sections consisting of the Zapillo, the Thermal and the Senior Citizen areas. The first section was inaugurated on 29 June, 1989. Today it is ten kilometres long. People love walking, jogging, roller-blading, etc., here.
FEASTS AND CELEBRATIONS
Almería Fair
The big celebration of the city is undoubtedly its fair, which takes place in the second fortnight of August in honor of the patron saint of Almeria, the Virgen del Mar. The show lasts 10 days and includes these days highlights:
* Sports activities, among which include the petanque championship (outdoor yard sport) or swim races across the harbour.
* The Plaza de Toros de Almería, opened in 1889 and it´s famous for the large number of shawls that adorn Manila during the run and as the birthplace of the tradition of tea, which is between the third and fourth bull afternoon. The main events of the fair are:
* The Fair of the South. It has a great atmosphere of bars in the downtown where you can enjoy tapas, wine, women dressed in ruffled garments and unique Sevillian music.
* The fireworks, which take place at twelve o’clock both Wednesday and Saturday nights .
*Equestrian activities.
* The People’s Pottery Fair. It´s typically comprised of potters from all over Spain and Portugal.
* Night at the fairgrounds, including a myriad of stalls, all free to enter, and there are also amusement rides.
Holy Week
As it happens in most Spanish towns and villages, Jesus and the Virgin Mary sculptures are carried by people through the main streets during Holy Week. These sculptures are placed on especial richly adorned carriages called ‘pasos’, which are carried away on people´s shoulders as a sort of penitence. The most popular ‘pasos’ in Almería are: ‘El Cristo del Perdón’, ‘Los Estudiantes” y ‘El Silencio’
The night of San Juan
June 23rd at midnight, is quite a magical night. Whole families, as well as groups of friends go to Playa del Zapillo y La Térmica to set ablaze many bonfires along the coast. When the clock strikes twelve people go to the sea to touch water with their feet or simply go swimming. It is said you won’t be lucky if you don’t do so. This is followed by fireworks, barbecues, music, and dancing last till the sun rises.
The Day of The Standard
The Day of the Standard is a festivity that is celebrated in the Spanish city of Almeria, on December 26th there being commemorated the capture of the city of Almeria on the part of the Kings Católicos, event that took place in the year 1489. The morning of this day, the town hall of the city celebrates a civic – religious act in which the Standard (banner that the Kings Católicos left in the city) becomes the centre of the ceremony. Normally, the Standard of the Kings is walked downtown to the Cathedral where a mass is celebrated in honour of the day´s happenings.
SHOPPING
In Almeria, you can find too many shops in differents places of the city where you can buy lots of things.
Here there are two main places to go: the Centro Comercial Mediterráneo “Alcampo” and too many shops downtown. Besides there are other large malls on the outskirts of the city and some towns.
The Centro Comercial Mediterraneo is located on the Mediterranean Avenue. In this shopping center you can find numerous cloth shops, home accessories, computers, sports, pet shop, places of entertainment like cinemas and amusement arcade, and a supermarket.
In the heart of the city there is a greater variety of shops like those mentioned above.
For those interested there are also shops for buying and selling second hand goods, having very interesting prices.
Near Almeria, in Roquetas de Mar(20km), on the road to Alicun, we find the shopping center called ‘Centro Comercial Gran Plaza’, similar to the Centro Comercial Mediterraneo.
There, we also find other popular shops as Worten, Leroy Merlin and Toys ‘R’ Us. There are other shopping areas with different types of shops in Huercal de Almeria(‘Paraje comercial La Cepa’) and in El Parador de Roquetas(‘Viapark’)
FOOD & DRINK
This section covers the wide range of various drinks and delicious foods available in Almeria
Almeria is a perfect city to spend a holiday. The capital and the surrounding areas give us a wide range of bars serving incredible ‘tapas’. The heart of the city turns in summer into a space for leisure and amusement where a lotof bars can be found. You can enjoy the noble ‘art of tapeo’ with captivation in their terraces. If you go to Almeria on vacation you cannot miss its gastronomy.
Have a seat and enjoy …
A dish quite notable is the ‘pintarroja’. It´s a kind of fish difficult to find in other zones of Spain. Monkfish, mackerel and octopus are equally delicious. Other local dishes are migas (flour crumbs similar to couscous) , garlic soup, the fried fish, the ‘gurullos’(thick soup) or potatoes ‘a lo pobre’.
-Now we will speak about the most outstanding restaurants of Almería:
RESTAURANTE LA GRUTA
(ALMERÍA)
Dishing out honour to its name, this restaurant is located in a natural cave.
- Migas con remojón
It possesses a varied list of dishes where roastings stand out.
RESTAURANTE LA TAHA
(CANJAYAR – ALMERIA) Located in one of the best zones of the village, it specializes in traditional food from ‘Las Alpujarras’ a region on the slopes of Sierra Nevada, which belong both to Granada and Almería provinces. Excellent wines and delicious desserts are available.
RESTAURANTE EL ALMEJERO
(GARRUCHA –ALMERIA)
Founded 20 years ago The Almejero is a restaurant that only closes when
there is no fresh fish, and that only happens two or three days a year.
- Trigo
RESTAURANTE ‘EL POTRO’
HUERCAL DE ALMERIA (ALMERIA)
Ideal for big celebrations. Traditional food of Almería: migas, arroz, fish, roastings.
-And now will we speak about tapas bars:
TABERNA POSTIGO
An ideal place to have a drink with friends in the centre of Almeria.
The bar is small, but you can sit down at the outdoor tables. This is the advantage of the fine weather in Almeria throughout the year. The best things to try: roasted ribs or melted cheese. Very well-known in Almeria.
LOS DOMÍNGUEZ BAR
The restaurant The Domínguez is the most classic in El Zapillo found near the Youth Hostel.
- Jibia en salsa
It is always very crowded and that´s a good sign. You can choose from fresh fish, meat with peppers, baked potatoes and the list goes on…
LA VIRGEN CHICA
Another popular bar with a long list of big tapas at economic prices. You can eat well and save money. Ideal for students and young people. Also near the Youth Hostel.
- Jamón ibérico
NIGHTLIFE
In this section we will show you some ways of enjoying the night in Almeria. We will tell you about some bars and pubs that we consider important. We hope that this information will be useful for you. Just to set the record straight, we are not necessarily promoting any of these places below.
The first one is called Mae West. It is located at 10 Parque Nicolás Salmerón near the beach so it is a great place for summer. The music played is Spanish pop and Latin rhythms mixed up with the best hits of pop house music. Free salsa lessons are offered Mon. and Tues. nights and comedians perform their jokes on Wednesdays at 23 pm. In conclusion, the pub is quite entertaining for locals and travelers.
El Bicho (The Bug) is another pub near the beach too. It is said that is an excellent place to find love. It is not expensive at all and the atmosphere is young and fresh. Commercial music is played there and it opens earlier than other places so you can start your night tour here. We suggest having some drinks at this pub before going anywhere else.
Las 4 calles (‘The 4 streets’) is an area that you can’t miss out. It is the historical centre of Almeria. It is filled with lights and people at night and it is the most recognized place to have tapas (very diverse snacks that are had along with a drink) and “cubatas” (spirits + soft drinks). This area is not so glamorous during the day since the old buildings surrounding the area are deteriorated. In order to get there you have to go through El Paseo, formerly described.
Cartabon is a classic pub of Almeria at night. The prices are normal and dance music is played all the time so that you can enjoy with your friends. If you want to drink some coffee in peace you should go there (1 Guzmán Street).
Caramelo (‘Sweet’): the summer program of the famous disco Sweet that was so successful in the spring continues along the same lines of what hitherto had been carried out: you can have dinner while someone performs or sings for customers or just get down and boogie on the dancefloor on any regular night
12 San Francisco de Asis Street.
Geographic: it´s known for its concert hall. The problem is that it is a bit less economical but its late closing hours make up for its prices. Because of that, it is often packed. Young folks stay here until dawn at times. Incredible but true! Go to 12 Marqués de Comillas Street if you want to find out.
Last but not least, is El Porrón (a long tubular glass normally used to drink wine). Situated in Las 4 calles, it is cheaper than other pubs and bars in Almeria. Tapas and beer are found there. It is similar to El Bicho, you can choose either of them before going on a spree.
TRANSPORT
Almeria province is connected by land, sea and air. With its location,at one end of the Iberian Peninsula, it is not normally considered a transit city, but its opening to the sea and the airport contribute to making it an accessible province from inside and outside Spain.
By land, Almeria borders with Granada and Murcia. Motorway 92 comes from Granada, and links the province with the rest of Andalucia. From Murcia, the Mediterranean Highway circles the city and continues to the province of Granada and Malaga and runs parallel to the coast.
From the Almeria Intermodal Station there are departing bus coaches of companies like Alsa, Linebus, Ramon del Pino, or Bernado, that hold the shuttle service to all peoples of the province and the main Spanish cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Cordoba, Cadiz, Granada, Jaén, Málaga and Murcia.If we talk about the railroad, we must talk about the new station, which has become intermodal and that has risen alongside the old (a building of great architectural beauty), connects the province with Granada, Sevilla, Madrid and Barcelona.
By the sea, in the province of Almeria there are some fishing ports as Adra, Roquetas, Carboneras and Garrucha, the latter also with important industrial movement. The main port is in the capital, even though it has always had an important fishing and industrial movement, in recent times tourism has risen to prominence. With regards to passenger transport, it maintains daily communication with parts of North Africa, Nador (Morocco) and Melilla.
However, most of the tourists who come to the coast and Almería city make it through the air, landing in the modern Almeria Airport from other points of the Spanish geography and northern and central Europe. Almería offers regular flights to Madrid, Barcelona and Melilla, apart from a significant number of charter trips.
GETTING AROUND
Although in the town you can see beautiful places, monuments and beaches, we think is around Almería where you can see the most wonderful landscapes in the province.
In about 100 km you can see beaches that are as wonderful as those you see in magazines. You can also visit the mountains and go hiking or go picnic. And we’ve got the only desert in Europe called Tabernas.
Therefore, here are some of our suggestions the best places you can visit around Almería.
Beaches
-Los Muertos (Carboneras)
One of the most beautiful beaches in the province of Almería. Naturalist activities are allowed. To get to the beach it is necessary to cover 3 km from Carboneras crossing “Camino de Mesa Roldán” way. Then you will arrive at the parking lot, because access by car to the beach is prohibited. You can also go to the viewpoint in a few minutes, following a path.
– Genoveses and Mónsul (San José)
- Genoveses Beach
These two are the best ones in “Cabo de Gata-Níjar” Natural Park.
To go there, you must take the road from San José to Cabo de Gata. After 2 kms you’ll see Genoveses on the right, with its wonderful bay. Then, after 2 kms the parking area of Mónsul appears on the left too. Too many films have been made in this beach. It is quite exotic.
Historical places
Los Millares
It was a town that was once possibly inhabited from around 2700 BC to 1800 BC, in a period when the Andarax River was navigable from the sea.
To get to the historic settlement you must leave from Benahadux (a village in the outskirts of Almería) taking the A-348 road until the crossroad of Santa Fe and then you must take N-324 road during 500 m, until you get to the information point of Los Millares.
Mountain Areas
Available accomodation:
Cottages in La Alpujarra
+Apartments “El Olmo”, “El Olivo”, “El cerezo” , “El manzano” in Fondón
For more information visit the web http://www.turismoalpujarra.es
+”Las Paratas del Faz” in Fiñana
It is a cottage for 10 people
For more information visit http://www.finanarural.es
There are many cottags in the area, you can find more information in the web pages above and here http://www.escapadarural.es
Desert
“Mini Hollywood” Thematic Park
In the Desert of Tabernas, in Almería, the cinematographic settings of the 60’s Western movies, have become a Thematic Park and a zoological reserve where you can witness life as it was on the wild frontier.
Trips
Boat trips, 4×4 trips and hiking.
+Boat trips around Natural Park “Cabo de Gata-Níjar”. A trip by the east coast of Almería, showing us the most beautiful places of the province.
+4×4 trips. You can choose one of the three routes. A route on the coast, inside the Natural Park or a “Cinema route” where you can see more of the scenarios that appear in films like “Indiana Jones” or “Last Crusade”.
+Hiking. Caves Route, Minig Route and “Route of Stars” (You can see the most beautiful places at night)
For further information you should visit these web pages:
http://www.cabodegata-nijar.com
SPORTS
Handball
Handball is one of the most practised sports in Almería. These are the official teams:
– Keymare Almería: It was founded as a sports association in 1997. The first years they remained in Division B. In the season 2001/02 the team managed to compete for the first time in the Asobal League. In 2004/05,2005/06 and 2006/07 they remained in the Asobal league, until they dropped down in 2007/08 and from this day up to today they remain in the second division B.
– Vicar Goya: It was founded in the 80’s by Fernado Rey and Rafael Florido. It is a female team and was created in 1986. In 1999, the team rose to the highest female category. In 2001, the women’s team obtained its first participation in Europe.
Basketball
The C. B. Almeria is the first entity in Almeria basketball history which has existed for more than forty years, since it was firstly founded.In the second half of the sixties,they used to play in an outdoor court at the Rambla. This was the beginning for the team. After they then moved to other places: La Salle, the plazas of San Pedro, or Virgen del Mar. Later, when they reached second division, they got a covered court, the present Sport Center Rafael Florido, a former warehouse. Nowadays they belong to the “Adecco LEB Plata League” of the Spanish Basketball Federation.
VolleyBall
The best team in Almería is the Club Voleyball Almería or better known as Unicaja Almería. And here is a little summary of its history: The CV Almería Centre of the capital town is the oldest team and it was also winner of the Spanish men’s volleyball Cup. It has been competing for more than 20 years. At 1992-1993 season it was second in the league and the Cup, and between 2000 and 2005 they won six consecutive “Fantasy Cups”. .They are sponsored by Unicaja Bank and have won 8 “Superliga” Cups, 4 Super Cups and 7 Cups. Moisés Ruiz was one of the first stars of the team.There is also a women team that has won some trophies and tournament, and the cadet men’s volleybal was runner-up at the Championship of Spain.
Football (Soccer)
There is a soccer team in Almería called UD Almería. It belongs to the most important Spanish League, the so-called BBVA League. It is the only team of Almería in the best league of Spain. It was founded in 1989 and has been in 1st division for 3 years, 7 years in 2nd group or division , 6 years in 2nd B division and 2 years in 3rd group. If you visit the Mediterranean Games Stadium you will see the field where they play matches every two weeks versus such teams as Barcelona FC or Real Madrid.
MAPS
You can see in the following link a map with a “blue route” showing the way from the Youth Hostel to IES Alhadra School:
And here is a link to the Bus #3 going from Youth Hostel to IES Alhadra School:
http://www.surbus.com/inicio.aspx?cat=0&id=3
- Nightfall in Zapillo Beach
_______________________
AUTHORS
Museums: Juan Antonio Heredia, Miguel Segura, Jose´Manuel López-Joya.
Sightseeing: Ángeles Blanes, Macarena ramírez, Rocío González.
Feasts & Celebrations: Rosa Dotes, Ana Morales.
Shopping: Mª Carmen Gómez, Rocio García, Lola Borde, Iván García.
Food & Drink: Patricia Aljarilla, Ainoha Guerrero, Salima Zakhini, Marta Segura.
Nightlife: Dolores Plaza, Mariana Sorroche, Manuel Lozano, Juán Avilés.
Transport: Yassine Bellagssouri, Ángela García, Fabio López, Alexandru Stephanescu.
Getting Around: Loli García, Laura Salmerón, Paqui Vera, Lidia Montiel.
Sports: Hamza el Orfi, Francisco lópez, Pedro Fernández, Rubén Sola.
***AN ENGLISH? ADVERTISEMENT
(Fernando Torres in Liverpool)
***THE BEATLES
A MULTIMEDIA PROJECT BY ANGELA GARCÍA 3ºA
***SHORT STORY
ATLANTIC CRUISE
By Manuel Gil1ºE.S.O-B
The journey took forever, but luckily we got out alive. It all began one 23rd July.We were going on holiday as we did every year, and this time we decided to cruise the Atlantic on a ship.We would go with my Aunt, from here, Almería, 
to La Havana in Cuba.Once in Cuba, we would see the island and its surroundings: Haiti, Santa Lucia, Jamaica… but only if we arrived.When at last the great day came, we arranged to meet my Aunt at the Port in Almería at 10 O’clock in the morning, as the cruise ship would leave at 11.We got our cases and we went up on board the ship.
Our cabin wasn’t very big, but I was happy enough because I had a good window with a view of all. There were two bunk beds and a double bed in the room; I would sleep on the top bunk and my Aunt Marina would sleep on the bottom with my little brother. My parents slept in the double bed.
The voyage was supposed to take five days, but it turned out to take much longer.Staff working on the Cruise liner was very strange and I didn’t like them much, neither my brother nor me liked them.The first day we were cruising around the Atlantic we tried to see what was on the boat, but we didn’t have 
time and we had a look the first two days. By the third day, even my brother Carlos knew his way around the ship by himself. We went to the swimming pool in the morning, and in the afternoon we went to a computer room where there were lots of computers and electrical appliances.We had a great time, and when night came we went to the ship’s dining room for dinner.There were statues made of ice as well as a stage where the famous did their acts during the meal.That day a group of flamenco dancers were performing.The performance finished very late, but we left earlier to our cabin because my brother was a little tired.
On the fourthmorning the people from the cabin next door knocked and told us that instead of sailing to La Havana, they were taking us to the Antarctic, in the south of the Atlantic.Soon word got out and everyone went to reception to ask what was happening.The receptionist said that she would hold a meeting in the conference room at 10 O’clock that evening so that we could ask any questions. But the passengers were very impatient and wanted the meeting to be held straight away.In the end that’s what happened and everyone went to the Ballroom.
The receptionist went to call the Captain, my brother and I followed them because we could tell that there was something suspicious about all of this.The receptionist went into the captain’s cabin and said,“Everything’s ready Captain.”“Very good, now you only have to lock all of the doors so that no one can get out, and then we’ll have a good feast.” “Very well Captain, you can come into the Ballroom in two minutes.”
We were very surprised and we went running to tell our parents but it was too late, the Captain was behind us and he wouldn’t let us escape. When we got to the Ballroom the whole ship was waiting for the captain.He came in and allowed people to ask questions, meanwhile I told my parents what I had heard, but they didn’t believe me, I tried to convince them, but neither one nor the other would believe me.Just then one of the crew locked the doors of the room.Everyone started shouting and screaming with fright, and a man asked the Captain,“What’s happening, why are you taking us to the Antarctic and you 
lock us in here?”“Because we are really cannibals, you are not on a Cruise but in Hell.”All of a sudden other crewmembers climbed through the windows and surrounded us completely without letting anyone leave.
It was then that I remembered that my Aunt had stayed in the cabin because she wasn’t feeling too well. I told my mother and she phoned her to try to tell her what was happening.At that moment a marine passed outside the cabin door and on hearing the mobile phone ringing, kicked the door down but didn’t find anything there as my Aunt had hidden under the bed.She started talking to my mother, my mother told her what had happened, she also told her to make sure that she didn’t stumble upon any of the crew, as she could be eaten from feet to head.That’s what she did until the cannibal found her and she had to run away until she was surrounded by them.In the meantime, the cannibals got closer to us all the time until the ship crashed into something and we all realised that the ship was not manned. We didn’t know what to do but luckily this story was not going to be like Titanic.
We came to an island that nobody knew. Because of the great crash, many of the cannibals who were near the windows fell into the water. So many of the passengers escaped through a hole left but it was bad luck that my parents and I didn’t have time to get away.The cannibals could wait no longer and said that they would eat up anyone left on 
the ship, I was frightened and ran through the legs of the others and managed to escape. I went straight to look for my Aunt, and when I finally found her she was hanging out of the window and had a crewman holding her hands so that she wouldn’t fall, I was very astonished and asked him bravely,“What are you helping my Aunt for?”“I’m not a cannibal like the rest.Forty years ago, when this boat set sail, I was a passenger like you, who didn’t know what was going on.When we were far from the coast, the crew on ship told us that they were going to eat us all, we offered to work on the ship in exchange for our lives. My shipmates have died one by one, I am the only one left, and all the rest are cannibals. I know a way off the ship. I can take you so you can escape this Hell”.
I told him that I had to tell my parents.I ran to call them but they realised we were escaping and they followed us to the exit.A sailor stopped them but couldn’t hold them for very long.We were able to escape to the island with the other people that had escaped with us.There had been a total of 3,450 passengers but few more than 900 survived.It was a total massacre, there were dead bodies along the corridors and the sailor who had helped us was eaten in less than a minute, but the worst thing was that we were on a small island lost in the ocean.We tried to find someone among the survivors who knew where we were, and in fact there was. He told us that we were on a British Island named Santa Helena, near Angola, but too far away from land to 
swim.We decided to get the lifeboats from the boat and to try to row to shore on the Angolan coast, we got on board and got the lifeboats without them realising. But halfway we had no food and many had died.We decided that the tide take us as we had no more strength to go on, until we suddenly crashed into a great fishing boat who was able to take us to Angola and immediately take a plane on to Spain. We all had a terrible time, but are now packing our suitcases to go on holiday touring the Mediterranean.
***JOKE
The Bacon Tree
Two Mexicans are stuck in the desert, wandering aimlessly and close to death.They are close to just lying down andwaiting for the inevitable, when all of a sudden…….“Hey Pepe, do you smell what I smell?
Ees bacon I ahm sure of eet.”
“Si, Luis eet smells like bacon to meee”. So, with renewed strength, they struggle up the next sand dune, and there, in the distance, is a tree loaded with bacon.
There’s raw bacon, dripping with moisture ..there’s fried bacon, back bacon, double smoked bacon…
every imaginable kind of cured pig meat.
“Pepe, Pepe, we ees saved!
Eet EES a bacon tree!”“Luis, are you sure ees not a meerage?;
We ees in the Desert don’t forget.”
“Pepe when deed you ever hear of a meerage
that smeell like bacon…ees no meerage,
ees a bacon tree”.
And with that …Luis races toward the tree.
He gets to within 5 meters, with Pepe following closely behind, when all of a sudden a machine gun opens up and Luis is cut down in his tracks.
It is clear he is mortally wounded but, true friend that he is, he manages to warn Pepe with his dying breath.
“Pepe…go back man,you was right.ees not a bacon tree.”
“Luis Luis, mi amigo…what ees it?
“Pepe…ees not a bacon tree…
Ees……….
Ees…Ees………
Ees….… Eees a Ham Bush
***CARNIVAL 2008
SEE MORE FUNNY PHOTOS IN OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES PAGE
***LITERATURE
GERALD BRENAN:
In Love with Spain
ByJavier Carrasco
Gerald Brenan (1894-1987) was an English writer and Hispanist who lived most of his life in Andalucía. He was born in Malta while his father was serving in the British Army, and educated at Radley, a boarding school in England where he suffered from bullying. Travel and adventure were to be his way of life and at the age of sixteen he ran away from home with an older friend to walk to China. Between August 1912 and January 1913 they walked 1,560 miles but the outbreak ofthe Balkan War and shortage of money caused him to return to England. During the World War I he served in France. After the war he was introduced to the so-called Bloomsbury Group, the literary greats of the period, namely, Leonard and Virginia Woolf, Lytton Strachey and other famous English writers. But he hated the hypocrisies of British bourgeois society and decided to leave the country in search of Mediterranean life. Low living costs and a relaxed way of life was all he needed.
Thus, he came to Spain in 1919 for the first time and settled in Yegen (Granada), a little village in Las Alpujarras, not far from Láujar de Andarax (Almería). His most famous books are The Spanish Labyrinth, (1943) about the Spanish Civil War, and of special interest for us South From Granada, (1957) where two chapters refer to Almería. During the Civil War he returned to England. In 1953 he was allowed to come back to Spain besides he opposed Franco’s regime. He spent most of the remainder of his life in Alhaurín el Grande (Málaga). He received the great American writer Ernest Hemingway as his guest there.
South From Granada is a book which mixes ethnography and travel narrative. Gerald Brenan describes customs of Las Alpujarras, its natural history, its history and his personal experiences there. He also dedicates some chapters to the cities of Granada and Almería in the 1920’s.
As regards the two chapters devoted to Almería, the first one, titled ‘Almería and its brothels’ (houses of prostitutes) describes the time when Brenan had to travel to Almería to buy some furniture and wait for a letter with the money he had asked his uncle. At the beginning he gives a poetical description ofthe city: ‘Almería is like a bucket of whitewash thrown down at the foot of a bare, greyish mountain. A small oasis –the delta of the River Andarax- spreads away beyond it’. Then he narrates ‘an adventure that happened to me’. He met a man called Agustin Pardo, a broker who told Brenan his life was completely ruined by vice. This character is presented as a very boastful man, in fact later Brenan finds out he is a liar. Then Agustín proposed to visit some brothels in the town. First Brenan hesitates: ‘I could not do so because I was not attracted by prostitutes’, but, eventually he accepts the invitation on the grounds that ‘for a man of culture and education such as myself, it would be instructive’. The tour becomes a useful tool for Brenan to learn about society in Almería at that time.People seemed cursed with poverty, disease and illiteracy.The atmosphere reminds that one found in the book La Chanca written by the Spanish writer Juan Goytisolo some years later (1962). In the end his uncle’s letter arrived saying that he would not send him any money and, consequently, Brenan had to face a financial shortage once again.
The other chapter is called ‘Almería and Archaeology’. The writer begins telling us that his visits to Almería produce a feeling of excitement on him, more than visiting Granada: ‘Certainly, it seemed that the sea was doubly Mediterranean here, and the city…contained within it echoes of distant civilizations’. Then he describes Almería in the Middle Ages, in times of Abd-elRahman III, in the 10th and 11th centuries, when the city controlled the merchant routs in the Western Mediterranean Sea. He also mentions his meeting with the Belgian engineer Louis Siret, also a famous archaeologist, who made surprising discoveries in the areas of Los Millares andEl Argar from the Copper and Bronze Ages respectively. Moreover, Brenan speaks about natural history, including botany and mineralogy in the region.
Just to finish let’s take a look on his description of Cabo de Gata: ‘About a dozen miles to the south of Níjar is the Cabo de Gata…its name is really a corruption of Cabo de Ágata, Cape Agate. Its red, waterless rocks are volcanic, and since Phoenician times have been famous for their supply of various sorts of precious and semi-precious stones. On the seashore a little to the west of that cape, at a place known as Torre García, there is a small chapel which marks the spot where the Virgen del Mar, who is the patroness of Almería, appeared to some sailors in the year 1502 and showed them where her image lay buried in the sand dunes’.In short, South From Granada, is an interesting and amusing book we all should keep in our bookcases.
Alhadra High School. Department Of English 
