On the 4th
of May our school had the amazing opportunity to live new experiences and come
in contact with various kinds of civilizations, languages, habits and
traditions. We met students and teachers from Germany, Poland, Portugal,
Finland, Turkey and of course Spain. We all learned about the Spanish culture
and met new friends with different traditions. Fortunately, our timetable was
not exhausting, but it included many entertaining and educational activities.
On the first day of our journey, we met our Spanish hosts in Barcelona,
where we managed to visit the most popular sites of the city. First of all, we
visited the large expiatory Catholic church, "La Sagrada Familia",
designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. Although incomplete, the church
is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has a completion date -- 2026 or 2028, more
than 140 years after it was started. The exterior of the church was not only
imposing, but also elegant. What had impressed the students and the teachers
was the details on the walls, where many scenes of the history of religion take
place. The interior was a large area full of columns in various shapes and some
part of the walls and the ceiling were covered with colorful glass. After the
tour in the church, we had 15 minutes to buy souvenirs from the boutique out of
the church.
After that, we went for a walk in the street in central Barcelona,
La Rambla, popular with tourists and locals alike. Its popularity with tourists
has affected the character of the street, with a move to pavement cafes and
souvenir kiosks. We were free for one hour and a half to walk and buy souvenirs
from the local shops and taste some of the traditional dishes, such as paella.
In the afternoon, we got in the bus and we visited Camp Nou, the football
stadium in Barcelona, which has been the home of Football Club Barcelona since
1957. It seats 99,354, making it the largest stadium in Europe and the 5th
largest association football stadium in the world terms of capacity.
At first, we went into the FC Barcelona Museum which includes a
collection of photos, documents and trophies detailing the club's history on an
interactive glass wall, allowing us to touch the screens and see information
wall. There is also a private art collection which exhibits works by local
artists as Dali, Miro and Tapies and a section including a trophy-room with
every trophy, or a replica thereof, that the club has ever won. Then, we got
into the stadium, where we were able to take photos, but our tour was limited
for safety reasons, but we could make a small tour for 10 minutes in the
boutique of Camp Nou and buy souvenirs, related to the club. In the evening, we
left Barcelona and we travelled one hour and a half to Lleida at the school,
where the host families where waiting for us to go home, take some rest and get
prepared for the next day.
On the second day in Spain, May 5th, we all woke up early in the morning
and went to school, where some Spanish participants made a tour with us in the
whole school. We met students from all the classes and we had to introduce
ourselves and answer their questions. Some of them had prepared surprises, like
flowers and bracelets. After the tour we were led in a room, where the
authorities had prepared a speech for us and every group took photos with them.
The Spanish teachers offered bags to the participants with gifts like bracelets
and a book related to the history of the school. When we got out in the yard,
we were all happily surprised. All the classes where gathered in circles and in
the middle of them, there was a flag from every country. We all believed that
it was a wonderful idea to welcome us to their school. We wanted to spend much
time with them but they had to go back to their lesson. We tried to get some free
time to do activities together, but we had to go back home in order to get
prepared for the evening celebration.
In the evening, we went back to school where the Spanish students had
prepared a presentation with acrobatics, tricks and other activities for us.
Then, some local professionals danced according to their tradition and invited
us to learn how to dance. After that, each country should present its own
traditional dance. We tasted also other traditional dishes and we had a big
party with songs and dances of different countries. After this big celebration,
we were all exhausted and we went back home having these unforgettable moments
in our minds.
On the third day of our amazing experience, we woke up much earlier than the
previous day. We started our walk to go to Lleida hill, where a church is
located. The Cathedral of St. Mary of La Seu Vella is the former cathedral
church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lleida. The Seu Vella is the defining
monument of Lleida, the symbol of the city, being visible from its hilltop site
anywhere in the city. We spent our time taking photos of the impressive
architecture and the beautiful garden in the middle of the church. We could
also enjoy the superb view of the whole city, including houses, streets and the
river. Two hours later, we visited a famous winery, named Raimat, where we had
the chance to taste the local wines, learn how they are produced and buy them
in low prices. In the afternoon we visited a stadium in Lleida. On its roof
there were photovoltaic installations and we learned about their price,
advantages and materials. After this tour, we went back home to take some rest
for a while, because later we had to visit the mayor. At 7, we were at the town
hall, where we gave our presents to the mayor. He was really friendly and kind,
he gave us his best wishes and we took lots of photos with him. Afterwards, we
had free time for all the afternoon and we decided to go to the football match
of a Spanish student and we thought that is would be great to support our
friend. His team finally won and at 10 we hanged out all together to celebrate
the victory.
On Thursday 7th of May we spent a wonderful day in the Pyrenees, where we
visited the national park Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici. There a tour
guide showed us the fauna and the flora of the mountain. After that we visited
two Romanesque Churches of the 12th century , St Climent de Tahüll and Santa
Cecília d’Erill la Vall. The wall picture οf St Climent de Tahüll representing
Christ and 12 disciples was transferred to Catalonia National Arts Museum in
Barcelona using a very special techique. Instead of the picture, we could see a
projection of the original picture. This is the first place where such an
indoor projection is used in the world. 30 minutes projection show is
fascinating.
On our last day, Friday, the students of FEDAC Annunciata Dononiques of Lleida
presented The Golden Mirrors Awards Ceremony at school, full of glamour and
with their students’ band playing. It was the moment to know the winners of the
scale models, journals, and of course, which was the best short film! Greece
was awarded for the best scale model about Portugal and the best actor of the
short film. Well done, Greek team!
At night we had
the chance to enjoy an amazing human towers rehearsal and the wonderful
fireworks from the Seu Vella.
Our meeting in Spain with our Comenius Family was extremely interesting. We
enjoyed our time with our classmates and teachers from other
countries and it was a lifetime experience.
Fotini Kokkinou - Lydia Mpatila - Eri
Konitopoulou
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