21 May Erasmus+, Caudete and ELE USAL Strasbourg

Last week, our school ELE USAL Strasbourg had the pleasure of welcoming four extraordinary women from Caudete (Albacete) thanks to the Erasmus+. Rosabel, Paz, Ascensión and Beatrice, members of a French reading club, showed us that learning has no age limit and that curiosity about other cultures can connect us all. This visit, enthusiastically organized by Elia, became an enriching experience for both our visitors and the entire school team and our students. From the German quarter to Petite France, via the European Parliament and a homemade dinner with sausages, every day was full of discoveries, laughter, and that Manchegan camaraderie that crosses borders.

And today we bring you a little tale of our adventures…

Tuesday: Welcome at Place de la République and first classes

Tuesday began with a gathering at Place de la République, the heart of the German quarter (Neustadt, literally “new city”), an area built between 1871 and 1918 as a symbol of Prussian power, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2017. This route was especially meaningful for our visitors, who could better understand the complex history of Strasbourg and its borderland character. We walked along the wide avenues, so different from the narrow streets of the historic centre, discovering symbols, sculptures, and plaques that tell episodes of Alsace’s history during the period of the German Empire.

It’s curious because in Caudete, they also know what it means to have a border identity: they are part of the province of Albacete but are located very close to Alicante, and their history is marked by having been isolated between Castilian lands while belonging to the Kingdom of Valence.

We continued the visit by strolling along Avenue de la Liberté, admiring the fusion of neo-Renaissance and Art Nouveau styles, until we reached Saint-Paul Church, whose neo-Gothic spire rises above the canals of the Ill. Then we headed towards the Palais Universitaire of Strasbourg, familiarly called the “Palais U,” a neo-Renaissance building that has housed historic classrooms since 1884.

Finally, just before starting our Tuesday classes, we arrived at the school and, after “refreshing ourselves,” our visitors, now friends, shared the classes with our students, showing everyone that there are no cultural barriers “if the joy is good.”

But like all good things, the soirée came to an end and, after a humble dinner in a little corner of Neudorf, everyone went to their own nest for a well-deserved rest.

Wednesday: European institutions and a cross-border walk

On Wednesday, we dedicated the morning to the European institutions. At the European Parliament, the seat of this institution since 1958, with its iconic glass hemicycle (under construction, oh mon dieu). The glass and metal structure, inaugurated in 1999, is impressive for its size and symbolizes the democratic transparency of the European Union.

After the “institutional moment,” we crossed to the parc de l’Orangerie, with its 26 hectares of gardens, the idyllic setting for a picnic that didn’t happen but remains on our to-do list. After lunch, we changed countries and crossed the border to reach Kehl, and then made our way back by crossing the Rhine via the Passerelle des Deux Rives, a 387-meter pedestrian bridge that connects Strasbourg with this German city.

Dinner at a restaurant in Petite France, one of the city’s most charming neighborhoods with its half-timbered houses and old buildings where fishermen, millers, and tanners once lived, was the perfect finale. Between tarte flambée and Alsatian beer, laughter echoed under the sixteenth-century sloping roofs.

Thursday: cathedral, Palais Rohan, and a special dinner

On Thursday, Isabel, a friend and member of our cultural association, guided the visitors through the historic center. The Notre-Dame Cathedral, the undisputed symbol of Strasbourg with its 142-meter height and pink Vosges sandstone, left everyone speechless. During the visit, Isabel explained the fascinating history of the building, whose construction began in 1015 and did not finish until the fifteenth century. From there, we walked to the Palais Rohan, the former residence of prince-bishops turned into a museum, admiring seventeenth-century tapestries depicting historic battles.

In the afternoon, classes at the school transformed into a literary exchange: our students shared book recommendations, while the women from Caudete, being avid literature lovers, suggested their own favorite titles. The day culminated in a dinner at the home of Danielle, a student and friend of the school. Together with her husband, they prepared magnificent “knack” sausages with potato salad and other delicacies whose names I can’t remember.

Friday: farewell among canals and medieval bridges

On Friday, with our backpacks already packed, we walked through Petite France and the Ponts Couverts. These thirteenth-century defensive structures, with their three bridges and four towers, served as a backdrop for reflecting on the shared history of Europe.

We said goodbye with the promise to stay in touch and, who knows, perhaps organize a visit to Caudete to discover that land that preserves a rich cultural heritage and extraordinary people.

Erasmus+: bridges beyond borders

This experience reinforced how Erasmus+ breaks generational stereotypes. According to 2023 data, 18% of participants in adult education mobility programs are over 55 years old. Our friends from Caudete demonstrated that intercultural learning enriches at any age. Their reading club, where they analyze works in French, can now include Alsatian authors like Tomi Ungerer, whose illustrations are exhibited in his museum in the Neustadt.

Conclusion: humor, canals, and future projects

The visit of Rosabel, Paz, Ascensión, and Beatrice was much more than a week of cultural activities. It was a true human exchange that enriched both our visitors and the entire team at ELE USAL Strasbourg and our students.

For us, it was an honor to host these four women who have shown that curiosity, good humor, and the desire to learn have no age limit. And as we say in La Mancha, with that accent that unites us so much: “This is not a goodbye, but a see you soon.”

See you soon!