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