As part of the GW Madrid program, we have weekend-long excursions that allow us to explore different regions of Spain beyond the city. Last weekend, we traveled to the north of Spain, and like our previous excursion, we all loaded onto a bus early Friday morning and set off while it was still dark outside.
Our first stop was the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Atapuerca. It is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world, known for having the largest collection of human fossils and for being one of the only excavation sites where multiple different species of the genus Homo have been discovered. What made the experience even more interesting was that our tour guide was led by a professional actively working at the site, something that our program directors specially set up for us.
We then drove into the city of Burgos, which was absolutely beautiful. We visited the Real Monasterio de Santa María la Real de las Huelgas, a historic monastery with deep connections to the Spanish monarchy. That evening, my friends and I had dinner in the main plaza right next to the Cathedral of Santa María, which was all lit up at night and honestly one of the prettiest things I’ve seen since being in Spain.
On Saturday morning, we started our day with a visit inside the Catedral de Santa María de Burgos, a stunning Gothic cathedral and UNESCO World Heritage Site. It reflects the political, religious, and economic power that Burgos held during the Middle Ages. It is also one of the most important landmarks along the Camino de Santiago, which made it even more meaningful to visit after learning about the pilgrimage in class.
Later that day, we left Burgos and headed to La Rioja, Spain’s most famous wine region, for a visit to the Bodegas Marqués de Riscal. We toured the winery and its historic cellars, some of which date back to the 19th century, and learned about the winemaking process. At the end of the tour, we got to do a wine tasting, which was such a fun experience. The winery itself was also beautiful, and since the weather was perfect, we were able to sit outside and enjoy the scenery.
In the evening, we made our way to the city of Pamplona. The next morning, we set out on a walking tour of the city, following in the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway, who spent time there and wrote about it in his novel The Sun Also Rises. Pamplona is especially known for the Encierro de San Fermín, or the Running of the Bulls, a festival that takes place every July. During this event, participants run through the streets alongside bulls that are released and guided toward the bullring. It was really interesting to learn about how this tradition brings millions of visitors to the city each year. For lunch, we ate as a group at Café Iruña, which is famously where Hemingway spent a lot of his time observing life in Pamplona during the San Fermín festival.
This was our second weekend trip as a group, about a month after the first one, and it was really interesting to see how much closer we have all become. These trips are such an amazing part of the program because everything is planned for us, and they turn each experience into a learning opportunity. We not only get to see incredible places within Spain that we might not have thought to travel to on our own, but we also learn about the history behind them and experience some of the best food each region has to offer.
Abby Bowman
Spring 2026
GW Madrid (GW Study Program)
Elliott School of International Affairs
International Affairs Major