Four Reasons To Visit Spain

Spain is arguably one of the most popular countries to visit in Europe and ranks as one of the top European countries in terms of student visitors. Why do so many students go to western Europe to visit the Iberian Peninsula and why is it a great place for schools to visit?

We believe that their rich traditions, great weather, one of the world’s most spoken languages, and access to other countries with different cultures are the general reasons why young people consider Spain as their destination. The truth is that there is so much more beyond their tasty tapas, history bull fighting, delicious paella and siestas that make it a wonderful country to visit.

Here are four reasons why you should consider visiting Spain:

1. Worldwide Sports Influence 

Spain won the World Cup in 2010 and “La Liga”, the Spanish soccer league, has two of the world’s top five sports franchises in terms of total revenue with both powerhouses Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Many people don’t realize the power and influence that these franchises have worldwide.

Photo courtesy of Christopher Hennessy

Both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are in the ten top of the world’s biggest franchises in terms of total revenue. Not to mention, FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi is one of the twenty most followed famous people on social media around the world. Additionally, former FC Barcelona star Neymar and former Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo won some of their most prestigious trophies and biggest tournaments while they played in Spain. In the past, we’ve done a visit to the Real Madrid stadium to see first hand their history of winning that goes back almost a century.

A unique piece of Spain’s sports culture is that they have produced some of the NBA’s biggest basketball superstars, such as Ricky Rubio, the Gasol brothers, and Nikola Mirotic.

Photo courtesy of Christopher Hennessy

2. Art and Music Influence

Simply put, the art that hangs on their walls has survived wars and some classic pieces are older than the United States itself. Students can get easy, and sometimes even free, access to see some of the world’s most famous art collections and experience some of the world’s most recognized music. Famous artists, such as Dalí and Picasso, have left their mark on history and their art continues to be shown around the world.

We embrace the Spanish guitar, and flamenco, but in the past we haven’t just shown you what they look like and how it sounds - we want you to experience it. We’ve had a professional come and show some basic steps and give a look what makes it so special in southern Spain.

Photo courtesy of Christopher Hennessy

Along those same lines, the different regions around Spain embrace their own music. In each major city, they bring bits and pieces of all these regions together so you can see and feel so many different vibes.

Photo courtesy of Christopher Hennessy

3. Pintxos - The Godfather of Tapas

Restaurants and bars around Spain allow people of all ages to enjoy a slice of heaven, or in this case, a slice of fresh bread with a topping of meat, fish, or vegetables similar to a tapa but bigger. Typically known in the Basque Country in Northeastern Spain, these pintxos to take a tapa to another level.

In the past, we’ve done a pintxos tour coupled with an olive oil tasting that allows both teachers and students to try some of the Spain’s freshest ingredients and some of the world’s best olives.

Fun Fact: When Italy had a drought years ago, they didn’t have a big enough of a supply of their olives to meet demand so they imported oils from Spain. Your Italian olive oil from Italy might have used olives from Spain!

Photo courtesy of Christopher Hennessy

4. Food Quality

Some of the best chefs in the world are Spanish, such as Jose Andres, and other top chefs from around the world have come to Spain to learn their traditional techniques and style.  

Do you love seafood? In Spain, the coast is no more than a 7-hour drive from the coast in any part of the country! The food comes in fresh and the quality of the food is noticeable.

Are you ready to take the first step toward making a trip to Spain a reality for your school? Send us your trip preferences and we can start planning to make it happen!

Seven Reasons You Can't Miss Cusco

The history of Cusco has transcended time and still lives and breathes through its people, places and animals. Centuries ago, The Incan Empire was spread throughout South America as one of the world's largest tribes and Cusco held the status as the capital of the Incas. Before the Spanish came in the 16th century, the empire covered Peru, a large part of Chile, and smaller parts of Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Argentina.

Although Cusco is a major Peruvian city with roughly half a million people, it has held onto its identify and the Cusqueños (or people from Cusco) have held onto their past to create a present-day culture that embraces their community-first mentality.

We encourage schools to include Cusco on their itineraries because it gives a wider idea about Peruvian culture. Here are seven reasons you can’t miss out on Cusco:

Photo courtesy of Kyle Janko (Matignon HS)

1. History of Spanish Influence  

The Spanish conquest of the Incan empire in the middle of the 16th century changed the face of culture in Peru, and especially in the Incan capital. When the Spanish came to Cusco, they converted the people to Catholicism and they changed their former places of Incan worship into churches and cathedrals.

In Cusco’s main Cathedral, it has paintings that were made with European-style canvases and paints that depicted Jesus Christ. In those same pictures, they have typical aspects of Peruvian culture. For example, Jesus and his disciples have the Last Supper, but in the middle of the table, there is a guinea pig - a typical and traditional food still eaten in Cusco today.

Photo courtesy of Kyle Janko (Matignon HS)

2. Iconic Animals

When we think of animals in major cities, we normally don't consider anything other than cats and dogs but it's a different story in Cusco. The Peruvian people in the former Incan capital still allow alpacas, llamas and vicuñas in and around their most popular areas.

From ancient Incan ruins to sometimes even the city center, you can find them in the most unexpected places, including Machu Picchu. You can see people walking with these animals in Cusco and surrounding areas as a part of the community.

3. Architecture & Landscape

The awe-inspiring structures, both natural and man made, will have you wonder about these places came into existence. In past programs, we’ve enjoyed taking a short ride just outside of Cusco to Saqsaywaman to understand the ancient Incan history.

In this fortress - a name given by the Spaniards who conquered Cusco - we learn about how the Incan people created this area of worship with boulders and stones weighing tons. They took tree trunks to roll the stones into place in order to avoid erosion and to create a stable area for farming. The best way to really comprehend it is to see it!

4. Amazing Coffee

Peruvian coffee is some of the best in the world, and there's no better place to try it than Cusco. At an altitude of over 10,000 feet, the coffee beans don't break down as easy and they don't oxidize as fast so the coffee beans stay fresher for longer.

When coffee tastes bitter, it's flavor comes from an acidic coating that develops around the bean which shrinks the bean and changes the natural flavor. However, in Cusco, the coffee stays fresher for longer and you can taste the difference!

5. Artistic Influence

In Cusco, you'll find ceramics and hand made goods from local experts and professionals who have learned these ancient traditions from family members. In our programs, we like to include a visit to a ceramics workshop where we learn how to make pottery and decorate ceramics from professionals. These professionals show special techniques that have helped our students create their piece!

6. The Location

The city is located high in the mountains in the region of the Andes Mountains, one of the longest mountain ranges in the world. The location of Cusco gives great access to Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The trip to Machu Picchu gives a real look at the transition from the city of Cusco, Andres mountains and finally to the surrounding jungle-like area around these famous ancient ruins. The area of Machu Picchu was actually discovered just over a hundred years ago after centuries of being hidden and closed off from the world which gives us a glimpse into the knowledge and power of the ancient architecture surrounding the ruins!

7. The Local Vibe

One of the Cusco area’s best kept secrets is hidden in the Amaru community. This tribe is located about an hour outside of Cusco city where we learn how they make traditional clothes and how they cook typical foods, such as their famous huatia potatoes.

Additionally, we learn traditional dances and get a real look into life in one of the largest tribes in Peru with over three million people!

If you’re interested in hearing more about Peru, check out our blog Understanding The Keys of Peruvian Culture to get an even more in depth look at what makes the country one of the most beautiful places in the world!

The Sweet Truth Behind Peru's Dessert Culture

Peru’s Rich Holidays & Traditions

When we hear the word “tradition”, we tend to think of gatherings of friends and family with some special type of food for the occasion. In Peru, a key part of embracing traditions like holidays and birthdays involve the food itself as well as what comes after the meal: Dessert! These special moments with loved ones wouldn’t be a celebration without some sweet treats!

Nonetheless, the desserts aren’t an afterthought in Peru, rather a vital part of the country’s many holidays and traditions. These confectioneries include chocolate, cake, candy and other delicious creations. If you’re reading this piece in the northern hemisphere, you probably associate at least some of these sweets with winter weather, but do you think that you eat them during the summer?

Regardless of the warm weather in Peru in December and January, due to its location in the southern hemisphere, the Peruvian holidays and traditions wouldn’t be the same without their emphasis on these delicious desserts, especially around Christmas time.  These post-meal staples show their love and passion for chocolate which has a unique history and continues to play a major role in Peruvian culture.

Chocolate in Peru

When you think of chocolate, you might think of the European countries, such as Belgium and Switzerland. However, have you thought about where the Europeans would get the cacao beans that make chocolate? Have you wondered how chocolate eventually become one of the most popular treats in the world?

When Christopher Columbus returned from South America to Europe in the early 16th century, he brought bitter cacao beans. These beans wouldn’t become popular until after the Europeans added sugar to make the sweeter flavor of the chocolate that we have today, according to NPR.

As chocolate has become popular worldwide, it has become an important piece of Peru’s culture. Most recently, in the early 2010’s, a discovery of over three hundred types of cacao beans have been discovered in Peru.   

Not to mention, a few years ago, a new strand of white cacao bean was discovered in Peru that’s extremely rare and expensive. This bean grew at a high altitude of over 4,000 feet so these special beans are less acidic, and therefore less bitter, and make some of the world’s purest chocolate because the beans don’t require additional flavoring to make them sweeter, such as vanilla, according to the NY Times.

Hot Chocolate in the South American Summer

Yes, you’ve read the heading correctly! If you’re in the northern hemisphere, you’re probably experiencing some form of colder, winter weather and enjoying some hot beverages! However, in Peru, they still like to enjoy their summertime despite temperatures over 80º F (26.6ºC) because they love chocolate!

Peruvians love their chocolate in all forms and still drink hot chocolate around Christmas time and New Years. Although they enjoy hot chocolate during the holiday season, they enjoy birthdays any time of year and the cake that comes with it!  

Peruvians Have Their Cake & Eat It Too!

Cake has the center piece behind big Peruvian celebrations and none bigger than the birthdays parties. When I taught at a primary school in Lima, I saw how Peru takes birthdays so serious that the school made restrictions for anything beyond the birthday cake.

At the beginning of my semester of teaching in Lima, in addition to the birthday cake, the parents of the students brought in a lot of food, treats, and birthday accessories (hats, noise makers, etc) on their child’s special day. After a few chaotic birthdays with too many sweets and toys, we collectively decided that birthday accessories became distractions that were no longer allowed. We had a lot of parental support since the parents too felt the pressure of the birthday madness. Nevertheless, the cake kept its special place at the table.

In the teacher meeting when the decision was communicated, as the only American in the teacher group, I jokingly asked if the school was no longer going to allow cakes either. After a short pause, everyone laughed uneasily at the thought of no birthday cake.

At EdOdyssey, we don’t want our students to miss out any cake! In our past programs, we’ve taken our students to the chocolate museum in the center of Lima and they’ve learned about the history of chocolate and even tasted some of the best of Peru’s chocolate.

Are you a chocolate and cake fanatic? Do you not have much of a sweet tooth? In either case, Peru has plenty of bakeries across the country so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to try these one-of-a-kind treats. We don’t want you to miss out on some of the most delicious types of desserts that the world has to offer!

Check us out on social media and see what special foods and desserts that you can find in Peru, and elsewhere!

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Sources:

Fabricant, Florence. “Rare Cacao Beans Discovered in Peru”. January 11, 2011. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/12/dining/12chocolate.html

Godoy, Maria. “In Peru, A Hunt for Chocolate Like You’ve Never Tasted It”. October 11, 2011. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2011/10/10/141153396/in-peru-a-hunt-for-chocolate-like-youve-never-tasted-it

Special Contributor: Kristen Richard