CONFUSING PREPOSITIONS (+Exchange 2026*)

*EXCHANGE A CORUÑA-KRONBERG 2026: "ALTKÖNIGSCHULE" / "RAFAEL DIESTE"

This week (from 26-February to 6-March) eleven German students have been taking part in the fourth student exchange between the "Altkönigschule" in Kronberg and the "Rafael Dieste" secondary school in A Coruña. Their stay here included a welcome reception at the City Hall and visits to Torre de Hércules, the Domus and the Old Town and also trips to Santiago and Baldaio. This time the German students visited first, later on in April, the Spanish students will be visiting Kronberg.

 

EXCHANGE 2025: GERMAN STUDENTS IN A CORUÑA

[Coruña City Hall photos from Instagram: coruñasocial-Concello de A Coruña. To see more photos LINK HERE]

The German students taking part in the 2025 student exchange Altkönigschule-Rafael Dieste arrived at A Coruña on Wednesday.

Yesterday (March 27th), the whole group of students and their teachers: Isabel, Julia, Lara & Leticia attended the official welcome reception at A Coruña City Hall. The Education councellor Juan Ignacio Borrego was their host.

VISIT UPDATES:

(Photos from IES "Rafael Dieste" blog, link here)

- Photos of their visit to CIDADE DAS TIC (Thursday 27th):

- Photo of their day trip to Santiago (Friday 28th):

- Photos of their visit to the IRVING PENN CENTENNIAL Expo at MOP (Monday, 31st):

- Photos of day trip to Costa da Morte: Finisterre & Ézaro (Tuesday April 1st):

THIRD KRONBERG-ALKÖNIGSCHULE / A CORUÑA-RAFAEL DIESTE STUDENTS EXCHANGE 2025

From the 18th to the 25th of February, 22 of our 4ºESO students take part in the third edition of the Alkönigschule, Kronberg-Rafael Dieste, A Coruña student exchange 2025. Teachers Isabel Viña & Leticia Ogando are in charge of the Spanish group this year, while Julia Westenburger & Lara Anselm are again the ones on the German side. At the end of March, the German students will be in A Coruña.

The photos above show the whole group during the tour of Kronberg today.

VISIT UPDATES:

- Photos of their visit to Frankfurt on Thursday February, 20th, below.

- Photo of their trip to Marburg on Monday February 24th, below.

VIDEO TOUR GUIDE OF OUR TWO GERMAN STUDENT EXCHANGE CITIES

 Browsing the internet, I came across this video that gives us a tour guide of the two German cities which have been our destination during our school exchange visits there: Frankfurt & Nuremberg. The video belongs to the series of Rick Davies Europe Travel guides. On it you can see many of the places we've visited in both cities during our stays there. A reminder of some great experiences.

Video: GERMANY'S FRANKFRUT & NÜRNBERG:

REMEMBERING MY ING3-CLASSROOM

 There was a time, during a period of around 10 years (aprox 2008/9 to 2018/9), when we used to have "subject classrooms" in "Rafael Dieste". That is, each classroom was devoted to a particular subject and mostly that subject was the only one taught in that room, although sometimes and due to availability it was shared with others. It was a way of being able to have specific materials and customize the classroom with English themed issues, in our case.

While this system of classrooms was implemented, I was based mostly in classroom ING3, which was on the second floor and the one nearest to the English Department, all advantages. As a reminder, I've recollected the photos I keep from this classroom. The first picture shows what my classroom (ING3) had on the wall board with projects my students had done over the years for the cultural weeks. The photos below, show the welcoming session to the exchange German students in 2019 and the breakfast that followed. It was 5 years ago today.

The classroom system had to be removed after the COVID lockdown when we returned to classes in September 2019 and hasn't been recovered since and there aren't any plans to, either.

Welcoming German students of 2019 exchange in classroom ING3 (30/4/2019) [link here]

SECOND PART EXCHANGE 2023-24: WELCOME & INFORMATION

Welcoming this year's student exchange.

A Coruña:

A Coruña is a capital province city in Spain in the autonmous community of Galicia.

An important historical port, it's located on the North West coast of the Iberian peninsula. The centre of the city extends over a peninsula linked to firm land by a narrow neck of land, so it shows two sea fronts: the docklands, towards the sea inlet, and the other to the open sea towards the Orzán bay, and in which the main urban beaches extend Riazor & Orzán.

A Coruña municipality has a population of 247.376 inhabitants (2023), the second most populated in Galicia after Vigo. A metropolitan area has developed around the city that, together with the metropolitan area of nearby Ferrol, make up a conurbation of 648.983 inhabitants which is a bit more than half the province's population and nearly a fourth part of the whole Galician community. Its population density is the highest in all Galicia and one of the highest in the whole of Spain (6472 hab/km2). Most of the surface devoted to industry is located in the neighbouring municipality of Arteixo, one of the most industrialized in Galicia. So the city is mostly devoted to the service sector. Its secondary sector is centered mainly around the docks and the oil refinery. Its climate is oceanic with mild temperatures throughout the year.

The city has 12 private schools, 26 public ones, 17 secondary schools and 3 univeristies throughout its municipality. A Coruña University has its Assembly Hall in the old town, and several campus around the city: Elviña, Zapateira, Riazor and Oza and in Ferrol. Currently the Univerisity has 26.000 students and offers degrees which are unique in Galicia and even in all the North West area of the peninsula, such as architecture, industrial design, naval engineering, road, channel and dock engineering, sociology and political and administration sciences.

In the neighbouring municipality of Arteixo we find the general headquarters of Inditex, the world's greatest textile group (owner of the popular brands Zara, Pull and Bear, Bershka & Massimo Dutti, among others) and whose influence in the city has been decisive. Apart from the important port activity (second port in Galicia in fresh fish and also of petrol and solid goods) which have made it Galicia's main port in traffic numbers. A Coruña's airport (Alvedro), located offers regular flights to important Spanish cities and some European destinations, with a growing number of passengers in the last decade.

The most important and popular sport team of the city is the Real Club Deportivo of A Coruña, founded in 1906, which has achieved 6 titles. One league Championship in the First Division (99-00), 2 King's Cups and 3 Spanish Supercups. The Deportivo has been second in Spain's league 5 times and has taken part 5 consecutive seasons in the Champions League reaching Semifinals once. Important football matches are played at the Riazor stadium.

Santiago:

Santiago de Compostela is a city in Spain, in the province of A Coruña. It's the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, and it's the seat of the Galician autonomic government (Xunta de Galicia) and the Galician Parliament.

Santiago's old town is Unesco Human Heritage Site since 1985. It's one of the three great Christian pilgrim sites, together with Jerusalem and Rome, as tradition sets it as the burial place of the apostle Saint James, the Great. The Cathedral has special artistic importance, devoted to this apostle, and its the final destination of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world who walk the different Saint James Ways.

Nearby the city is the Santiago de Compostela airport, the busiest in Galicia. It's also the site of a 5 hundred-year-old University, placed among the 10 best in Spain and with about 30.000 students, which helps to increase the population of Santiago and its metropolitan area over 200.000 inhabitants.

Betanzos:

Pontedeume:

- INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRIP AROUND THE GOLFO ARTABRO IN SPANISH

- COMPLETE PROGRAMME OF SECOND PART OF EXCHANGE CORUÑA 2024

EXCHANGE 2023-24: BACK FROM KRONBERG

All 42 students at Victoria Park in Kronberg on the first day.

We have just arrived from our 8-day exchange trip to Kronberg im Taunus. Our 20 Spanish students have met and lived together with their German partners and have enjoyed it a lot. Happy to have had the experience and looking forward to meeting again in the second part when the German students will be visiting A Coruña. That will be next March.

In this post we include some group photos, but coming up we'll include the different chapters of our visit day by day. So check up the previous posts...

The 20 Spanish students at Kronberg.

The whole group and teachers at the Eiserner pedestrial bridge with the Mainhattan skyline behind.

The whole group and teachers in front of Frankfurt City Hall at Romerberg.

Follow what we did during each of the days of our stay on the previous posts to this one or by clicking on the label Kron23.

EXCHANGE 2023-24 / Saturday 4th Nov., FRANKFURT MARKET & MUSEUMS (Teacher's visit)

                                      

Saturday ended with this impressive view of Frankfurt's "Mainhattan" skyline by night. It was a rainy afternoon, so it was spent visiting museums: the Städel museum of paintings, which had the exhibition on "Holbein and the Renaissance in the North" on show. Photos following below:

Previously we had visited the Angewandte Kunt Museum, on decorative art and design, photos following below:

Both these museums are on the southern bank of the river Main

The Christmas tree was already standing in the Römerberg square.

The day had started with a visit to Frankfurt's local food & drink market at Konstablerwache.

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Meanwhile on Saturday evening, some students went ice-skating in Frankfurt.