Our last trip in Erasmus+ Knowing Our Organic Food project has officially ended. This time we were exploring Romania and its organic food with partners from Italy, Spain,Portugal and Romania.

Arrival Day

Our journey began on May 14th at the Katowice airport, where full of positive energy, we were ready for an amazing trip. The flight to Warsaw was really fast and pleasant because it was only 40 minutes long. The flight to Bucharest also passed very calmly. After landing in Romania we were picked up by a bus which took us to our destination -a town called Targu Jiu. We admired a beautiful landscape during our journey. We arrived in the town late in the evening and our hosts were already waiting for us.

Day 1

We started our activities in the Erasmus+ program with a visit to the partner school Liceul Tehnologic Barsesti where we were greeted in the traditional way - with bread and salt. After the opening ceremony,Romanian students gave presentations about their country, town, school and traditional Romanian dishes. Later, we visited the school, especially the veterinary lab, where students learn how to protect plants and conduct many different experiments. Then we all went to explore the city. The high buildings of the city, a beautiful city park located along the Jiu River and three majestic sculptures located along the city axis: the Table of Silence, the Gate of Kisses and the Infinity Column made a huge impression on us. At the end of the day we went to the local stadium located in the city center to watch city schools beauty contest. After the announcement of the results, a concert of a well-known singer-

Irina Rimes took place.

Day 2

Tuesday started early in the morning with a trip to the city of Alba-Iulia, located in the center of Transylvania. The main attraction was visiting the largest fortress in Romania, located in this city. Its star shape and breathtaking viewpoints made this place even more charming. We also visited a beautiful Orthodox church, filled with wonderful sculptures and paintings. Later we went to the torture chamber and to the place where the oppositionists were hiding during communism. At the end of the day we went to a festival organized on the anniversary of the city. We tasted traditional Romanian dishes there and spent a nice time with Romanian students.

Day 3

On Wednesday we focused solely on organic food. We visited a small chocolate factory located in the village of Crasna. It was founded by a Belgian couple who moved to Romania. Their chocolate is hand-made by the inhabitants of the village, and its additives are imported from local farmers (nuts, dried fruit). We had an opportunity to try liquid chocolate in various flavours and buy delicious chocolates. Next we visited a local farmer whose crops are sold at the city market. He showed us different, natural ways of fertilizing and watering plants. We were all shocked by the fact that the farmer obtains from 10 to even 15 tons of tomatoes per year on such a small area! Returning to the city, we admired the wonderful rural landscape. In the afternoon we went to the mall and local fast-food restaurants. We ended the day by going to the stadium to watch the final of Monday's competition.

Day 4

Thursday started by visiting the renowned Raureni factory, a pioneer among brands in the production of vegetable and fruit preserves. The company has its own organic vegetable and fruit crops, so it does not have to buy anything from farmers. We had the opportunity to buy their natural products such as jams and preserves. Then we went to a small zoo to relax a bit. The next point of the program was a drive to the village of Horezu, where we watched traditional ceramic workshops and folk handicrafts. The hand-made plates, tableware and vases available for purchase made a great impression on us. In the evening we went to the cinema to watch an adventure film in English.

Day 5

We started our last day with a visit to the school, where we analyzed statistics of organic farming and organic food in Romania. Then we watched a concert of the band from the music school, which played traditional Romanian songs. Romanian students and teachers showed us their typical dances and invited us to dance with them. In the evening we all went for a farewell dinner and a walk around the city, during which we admired the beautiful panorama of the city for the last time. It was an unforgettable farewell.

Departure day

Early on Saturday morning, we gathered together in front of the hotel with the Spanish and the Portuguese to say goodbye to our Romanian friends for the last time. We arrived at Bucharest airport in the early afternoon. While waiting for the plane, we recalled the beautiful moments we experienced in Romania. Both flights were pleasant and trouble-free. We landed in Katowice at 17:30, where we were picked up by our parents. We returned home full of joy with beautiful memories.

THE POLISH TEAM

From 6 to 11 November we spent time in Coimbra - a beautiful Portuguese city, thanks to Erasmus+ ,,Knowing our organic food” project. We went there as four students with three teachers from our school. Apart from us, people from Romania, Spain, Italy and of course Portugal took part in the project. The project was a great opportunity to get to know the culture of another country, admire the monuments and taste delicious, traditional local food. 

Day 1: 6.11.2022

Our adventure began on November 6, when we left the airport in Katowice. Frankfurt was our first stop from where we moved to board the plane heading directly for Lisbon -the capital city of Portugal. Unfortunately we had to wait a little longer before we could get to know this historic city. We took the bus from Lisbon to Coimbra where we were greeted by hospitable Portuguese who infected us with positive energy and were a testimony that this trip will certainly be full of unforgettable impressions. 

Day 2: 7.11.2022

On November 7th we visited the school of the people who hosted us. The place immediately seemed perfect to us. The school was well equipped and had all the amenities that we could have ever dreamed of. The teachers from the very beginning seemed like people by vocation, who wanted to educate young minds as best as possible. Later we had time to go sightseeing Coimbra which is one of the biggest cities in Portugal. We visited a huge garden which was given to the students who were fascinated by biology. It was full of exotic plants creating an amazing atmosphere of this beautiful place. Among others we had a chance to walk through a small bamboo grove. Then we admired the architecture of the city from the other side of the Mondego river. But we had to wait a little longer for a more thorough walk. 

Day 3: 8.11.2022

The next day we had a chance to get to know the activities of local companies. We watched the cheese making process and we learned about the machines responsible for pasteurisation of milk and then its further path before obtaining the expected form. Later we went to the culinary school where we had the pleasure of tasting traditional Portuguese food prepared by the chef who shapes under his wings young people whose passion is preparing food. Each dish was delicious but our hearts were stolen by the fish soup made with cod- the favourite Portuguese fish.

day 4: 9.11.2022

During our fourth day we visited the oldest university in Coimbra. It took us a lot of effort to arrive at this delightful building. Stairs to knowledge turned out to be much longer than we expected. However, the fact that we could see the place where a lot of people from different corners of the world have spent their university years was a reward for our efforts. The library impressed us the most. It looks like from a movie and it is kept in perfect condition although it is really old. After we had left the university, we went for a walk along the picturesque streets of Coimbra. We saw lively cafes and meeting places where local people spend time together.

day 5: 10.11.2022

On Tuesday it was time for one of the most interesting attractions -a trip to the capital city of Portugal. We departed from the school early in the morning. Before we arrived at the target place, we had stopped at an important place which everybody knows -Fatima. The place where the apparition of the mother of God happened, awed us with beauty and history. After we had got some souvenirs and done sightseeing, we went to Lisbon. We were walking around lovely gardens and listening to music that was played by street artists. At the end of the day we met in the huge square near the Tag river which attracts a lot of tourists and we watched a magic sunset.

day 6: 11.11.2022

We wanted to make the most of our last day. We went to school in the morning where professor Manuela Grazina from Medical University gave a lecture. We found out a lot of interesting things about nutrition and healthy lifestyle. It turns out that these two things influence our happiness. After the lecture we tried traditional food and chestnuts. The rest of the day we were admiring the beauties of Coimbra for the last time because the next day we were leaving this amazing city. Farewell was not easy for us. We are sure that we will always remember these great days we spent in a great company for a long time.

day 7: 12.11.2022

November 12th was the day when we left Portugal. We got on the bus to the capital with new experiences and memories which will affect our life and seeing the world. After we had arrived at the airport in Lisbon we got on our first plane to Munich and then from this German city to Poland. Although our journey ended, it encouraged us to find out about other cultures and countries which offer a wealth of knowledge and experiences.

The Polish team

From the22nd to the26th of November 2021 we spent five days participating in the mobility with partner countries from the ERASMUS+ project “Knowing our organic food” in the host school from Italy. Each group consisted of two teachers and four students from Poland, Portugal, Spain and Romania. Italian teachers and students were the most numerous group as the hosts of the meeting.

We started our journey on 21st November. We took a plane to Katania and after that, we went by bus to Canicatti -the town, where we were staying with our host Italian families. We were welcomed by our hosts in the center of the town. Surely, all of us were a bit stressed out- then it got only better.

On Monday morning we all met at school. Italian students presented their country, region, town and school they attend. We were watching the presentations with real interest. Next, we went to the local organic farm (vineyard), where the owner told us a lot of interesting facts about how their grapes are grown ecologically and why the soil is so important for the grapes' growth. We could also see the packing processes and how to prepare grapes for export to other countries.

On the second day, we were shown a presentation about the economy of producing organic food and we had cooperative activities with other students. After lunch, we went to Agrigento (the historic city). We were visiting the town with a great interest. We could walk along typical, narrow streets and also we admired the architecture of the town and its monuments.

On the third day we had a full day trip to the capital of Sicily- Palermo. There we visited the oldest parliament in the world -Palazzo Reale with its impressive Cappella Palatina and also one of the landmarks- the cathedral- Cattedrale di Palermo. Everyone was very impressed with this monument. Later, we had some free time to eat lunch and enjoy local food or buy some souvenirs. After this exhausting but interesting day,we returned to our host families.

On our fourth day in Sicily, we had a meeting with a nutritionist. She told us what our daily diet should be like, what food we should eat rarely and what we can eat everyday to be healthy. Next, our task was to make a list of healthy and unhealthy food. It was done in mixed groups, so we had a possibility to expand our English vocabulary and improve our ability to cooperate with foreign students. After that, a selected group of people from each country went to the local supermarket and they carried out a survey with the citizens of Canicatti about organic food. In the afternoon, we went to the shopping mall.

On the fifth and the last day of our timetable, we were able to visit the Greek Valley in Agrigento. It was a really absorbing, guided tour. We learned a lot about the ancient times and civilization that lived there. It was impressing. In the evening we went to school, to take part in a farewell party with all the students and teachers. We were dancing to the rhythms of the music and we had great fun together.

Surely, everybody will remember this time spent in Sicily. All of these mentioned above activities were very interactive. Our meetings had a pleasant atmosphere. They were a huge opportunity to check and improve our language skills, but also to increase our social skills in teamwork with new friends. We met very interesting and valuable people. We all hope to keep in touch with one another after this project.finishes.We are grateful to every Italian student and teacher for organising the meeting and preparing such a great event, which was a magnificent experience for all of us.

The Polish team