Phew! This running around Segovia business should be good for my waistline. Maybe I won’t need to buy Colleen Nolan’s “Let’s Get Physical” fat-burner DVD after all. When I left you in part one, I was stumbling my way toward La Alhóndiga in order to find photo-journalist Ricardo Martin’s Sostener la Mirada (Meeting the Gaze) exhibition, which has many truly engaging images that deliberately provoke emotional reactions from the viewer.

As I was lost in thought, the strains of something very recognisable started tugging at my conscience. Why, I know that tune! It is the Eurythmic’s pop-tastic tune “Sweet Dreams”, only it sounded as if it was being sung by kd Lang. In fact, it was none other than Wilson and the Mandarins, three talented musicians from the British Council School, doing their thang as the Hay audience enjoyed the exhibition. These guys are good and either they kept popping up all night at each of the exhibition spaces or I must be coming down with Hay fever . . .

Next stop, Classroom Portraits, the British Council commissioned photo exhibition by Julian Germain, which captures classrooms around the world. I’ve truly saved the best for last because I never imagined such a seemingly simple concept would produce such startling results. Germain set the camera up (wooden framed plates, nothing digital) in the same situation in each of the classrooms and asked his subjects to focus intently on the lens. The results range from haunting to challenging, from bravado to sadness. You truly get a window in to the soul of each of the classrooms and its occupants. As an ex-ELT practitioner, the classroom in Hungry truly spooked me, as the defiant glares seem to be saying “your lesson plan is going seriously belly-up, mate” . . .

Classroom Portraits is accompanied by a set of excellent ELT materials and I would recommend every teacher to think about incorporating doing a session on the exhibition as I’m sure great conversation and writing can be produced from a subject that is so familiar to young English learners the world over.

Right, that’s my lot for Hay this year. I’ve hoped you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into an alternative Hay in Spain. Alberto is off to capture the beauty of Segovia by night – this city just get better as the day gets longer – and I’m off to catch some zzzs and get ready for Fitch’s session with Melvin Burgess tomorrow. Keep an eye out for “In Pictures” on the front of the British Council main website as the fruits of Alberto’s labour will appear there shortly.

Don’t forget, you can also keep up with all British Council events and activity in Spain on the British Council España Facebook page. Night-night . . .

David Blundell