we met near the beach...

... and sat on the grass. ^^

And don't forget us

We did our bit, too!

You would be wrong to think ...

...that the girls didn't make a good attempt at eating everything in the restaurant, as well (can't you see all the empty plates?). Girls eat pizzas too! Rather a lot of them, in fact.

No one will forget

No, we will always remember each other and this great three weeks we've had together. And I don't think Pizza Hut will forget these boys either, as they single-handedly tried to put them out of business. How many pizzas did you manage to eat? Was it by any chance a new world record?

Final Fling

It's one of our special -and best- traditions; a final meal together. This time at Pizza Hut in Torquay on July, 15th. Are we happy? We're happy to still be here together, although we're also happy because we'll soon be seeing our families again. Are we sad? Yes, a little bit sad because we've only got two days left together in Paignton. Is this 'goodbye' or just 'au revoir'? Who's already making plans to come back again next year?

And here's your card

Will you sell all our 'autographs' on eBay when we're rich and famous?

Blow Hard Oscar!

We started our holiday with one birthday, and now we're finishing it with another. Thursday 15th July, and Oscar turns fifteen. Many Happy Returns Oscar - and Happy Birthday to You, we all sing, in English, of course. Blow out your candles and make your wish.

Do you think his wish was to come back here to Paignton again next year?

The Celebration Goes On Outside

Savouring a moment of history.

We Are the Champions!

A moment to shout about!

This Looks Like Somewhere Important

Let's have another photo together here.

LONDON

Some of us just couldn't say no. Paignton is a long way from London, so it's a long trip on the coach, and a very, very long day. But we've arrived and here we are, outside Buckingham Palace, waiting for the Queen to come and say 'Good Morning' to us. She obviously hasn't had to get up as early as us on a Sunday morning!

And can you see the shark ...

... swimming over our heads?

So here are Lydia, Isabel and Paola, all oblivious to the man-eater above them.

Actually, this is a glass tunnel. People can walk through the tunnel as fish and other marine creatures swim all around them.

Inside the Aquarium

there are lots f fish, naturally, - but can you see the giant turtle, too?

Watch the tide!

While we were fishing, the tide came in very quickly, and nearly trapped some of us. on the rocks. When the tide is high, it covers this entire beach and you can't see the sand.

Our best rock pool fisher-woman was Paola. She got two little fish, a crab or two and a lot of baby shrimps.

Cristina, on the other hand, nearly got a wet foot.

Look at me!

I caught a baby shrimp!

Aquarium Visit, part 2

For the next part of our visit, we're going out onto the beach. We're going to try and catch some crabs and shrimps - no, not to eat them. Just to see them, and see where they live and hide. So, here're Cristina and Lydia with a net, clambering over the rocks and sand.

And this is a crab

Good-looking, isn't he?

Newquay Aquarium

A few of us thought surfing might be a bit beyond us. So instead we opted for a visit to the maritime aquarium in Newquay. The first part of our visit invovled us getting to know a few of the local marine creatures. Here we all are saying 'hello' to a lobster.

Careful with your fingers!

What? You mean ...

... now we have to do it in the water?

Actually, we had a good hour practising our new found surfing skills among the waves. Of course, some of us fell off sometimes, but we all had a great time and it was really worth getting up so early for!

Mum, can we go to Tarifa for our summer holidays, please? There's something I've just got to do there ...

Now it's getting more difficult

This is how you do it

It's easy!

Really, there's nothing to it!

I know how to ...

... carry my surfboard, at least.

Especially for Ana's mother

Hi, Mum. Here I am with some of my friends outside the school in Paignton. Tonight was Barbecue Night and I've just eaten three hamburgers and two hot dogs. That's why I'm smiling so much. As you can see, it's raining, so I am really in England and not hiding in Ibiza. Love Ana.

Saturday, 10th July - NEWQUAY

It's Saturday, so that means another all day excursion. And today we're off at 7.30am - can you believe it?! We're going to Newquay, which is in the county of Cornwall, and almost at the bottom point of England. It's about 1 1/2 - 2 hours by coach. The reason we are going so early is that most of us have a lesson at 9.45am - a SURFING lesson!! And here we are, all ready to rock in our wetsuits.

Lydia! Where's your fashion sense?!

Is that Lydia's new dress? No, it isn't. Actually, she's taking part in the sack race. But at least the colour of her sack matches her T-shirt.

Friday Frolics

It's Mini Olympics time! And here we are on the 'front' (the grass down near the beach) doing silly team games. Quick, quick - pass it on!

It has a very nice little church built in the 1300s, with lots of original wood work and stained glass windows that are typical of churches in England.

Thursday, 8th July

Dartmouth is only a small, but very historical town, built on the steep banks of the River Dart, and famous for its buildngs that date from the Tudor Period (Henry VII to Elizabeth I, 15th-16th centuries).

...and even...

...visiting human animals, who in this case are having a rest in the beautiful natural surroundings of the zoo. I guess they're getting ready for feeding time, even though it's only the middle of the morning.

...huge animals...

...dangerous animals...

...small mammals....

We're all going to the zoo ...

Paignton Zoo is the third largest in the UK. It is home to a wide variety of exotic birds ....

Morning in Dartmouth

Today we went to Dartmouth, we spent there a few hours and then back to class. We arrived at the harbour by bus and then we took a boat to cross the river and arrive at the town. There were flowers everywhere, it was so nice, I loved it!

Boys know how to dance too!

Nice style, boys! Keep it up!

Disco Night

And here we come the girls, dressed up to the nines and bopping till we drop!

Oh, was that your foot? Sorry ...

Lunchtime

For lunch we get a sandwich, some crisps, some fruit and a chocolate bar and, of course, something to drink. So we don't go hungry except if we want to. Today we're having lunch in the marquee - a big tent in the school garden. We have an hour for lunch, so it's a good time to send our emails, update our Tuenti pages, talk on Skype and generally keep in touch with our friends and family.

Braving the Waves

Arriving back in Paignton was a bit of an adventure as the tide was coming in and we had to jump onto the sand from the tiny quay where the boat dropped us. Some people didn't time it right and got wet feet!

Sport makes you hungry!

Look mum, I am eating!

And a Good Time Was Had by All

In action

Some of us discovered that we had skills and abilities that we didn't even know existed.

Ten-Pin Bowling

And here we are. We've come to Torquay this morning with the aim of getting a few 'turkeys' at the local Ten-Pin Bowling Alley. A turkey is when you knock over all the 'pins' three times in a row.

On the Boat Again

As Paignton is on the coast, and together with Brixham to the south and Torquay to the north makes up the area of Torbay, it is almost as common to use the boat as a form of transport across the bay as the bus or the train. Today we're going to Torquay, only about 3 or 4 kilometres away, and a pleasant little boat ride on a warm, sunny day.

Everything's there

The train chugs over the suspension bridge, while real people seem huge as they look at the tiny replica of Stonehenge on the left. Even the 'trees' are to scale.

Monday, 5th July

Our activity today is a trip to Babbacombe Model Village. Miniature houses and towns, farms and power stations ... and here, some old fashioned caravans pulled by shire houses.

This is an English train

Not very different from a Spanish train, really. And Plymouth is only a 45 minute ride from Paignton.

Sunday 4th, July

Today is our 'free day', but here we are waiting on the platform for a train, because we're going to Plymouth. Some of us have decided to spend the day with our host families, but most of us want to take advantage of the fact that all the big shops open on Sundays. Primark and Game Stop here we come!

Inside

It's thumbs up for a great day out.

Saturday morning adventure

Our first weekend and our first full day trip, on Saturday 3rd, to Woodlands Adventure Park. So, who's this? No, it's not a new student; this is Plop, and he's an owl. For at Woodlands there are not only activities for young people to do, but also things to see. Plop lives in the Falconry (falcon is used as a general word for birds that catch and eat other birds or animals, like mice or rabbits). The Falconry here contains lots of different birds of prey from all over the world. Twice a day the Falconer -the man in charge- flies Plop and several other impressive birds free in an open air show which everyone can go and see, and even get some of the birds to land on their hands!