Project week in Lisboa, Portugal (21.10.2019-25.10.2019)
Project week in Lisboa, Portugal (21.10.2019-25.10.2019)
The 4th meeting of the Our Europe project was in Lisboa, organised by Escola Profissional de Hotelaria e Turismo de Lisboa.
We had a five-day official programme, but we came back one day later, so it gave us a possibiltiy to spent a bonus day together in Portugal.
From the students’ reports:
Monday:
On the first day of the project we all gathered at the school. They had a welcome crew, that went on to show us around so we don’t get lost. After the quick tour, we were sat down in a classroom. We got greeted by the principal there, he had a few words about the school then left. When that was over, each country had a short introduction. We watched a presentation about sustainable tourism. When it was finished they guided us out to the terrace, where a beautifully made whole meal waited for us. It was fantastic. Everyone had their food, so we took of to the river where a traditional Portuguese boat (or at least I think so) painted in bright colors waited for us. So we took a ride down the river Rio Tejo on it. It was a really interesting day.
Tuesday:
On tuesday, the plan was to go to Sintra.
We met at the Orient station and went to Sintra by train. When we arrived at Sintra, we took a bus and that took us to the Pena Palace. The palace was beautfiul, very colorful but also a bit crowded. The palace was built in 1836 and it’s a romanticist castle. After when we went down to the city, we had lunch. Then we all met and our plan was to visit a garden but sadly we didn’t had time for that, so we had some free time to look around in Sintra. We went back to Orient and everybody had free time with their hosts.
Wednesday:
The first thing on Wednesday, we went to near Lisbon by bus. It was amazing because the village was beautiful. We checked out a vinery which was stunning as well as the tour guide, he told us interesting things about the Portuguese vine. After that, the students got some home made snacks while the teachers tasted the vine.
After that they took us to the village’s church. It was small and lovely place where a woman told us interesting things about the place and about the habits that they have in the village.
The third place where we went to was a nature reserve where we saw a little film about the birds who live there. Afterwards we played a little game with an interactive exhibition. Not long after, we could watch the birds from a cabin in that huge nature reserve. They were adorable.
Long story short it was a very good day with a lots of things to do, that’s why I chose this day.
Thursday:
On Thursday morning, we went to Belém by bus, where we first visited the Torre de Belém, a pretty yet small tower on the bank of the river Tejo. There we met some Italians who were in Hungary with this project before. We then went up the tower, which had a very narrow staircase. After admiring the views there, we headed towards the Jerónimos Monastery. It is a very beautiful building, which is connected with a church in the front.
We were then given free time to eat something. It was quite hot during the day, it felt like summer. Some of us tried this famous Portuguese pastry called pastéis de nata, and it tasted really good. When it ended, we traveled inside Lisbon, where the Portuguese students gave us a tour guide through the city. We stopped by several landmarks and buildings, and our tour concluded in the Castelo de S. Jorge, where the group could look around and out to see the beautiful sunset.
Friday
On the last day of the project the Erasmus team did some research for sustainable tourism in the shcool’s computer room. After that the whole group had some free time to spend a last day with our hosts. After the freetime has ended the group went to the school to have our last dinner together. We had a nice night together with some really special foods all made and served by the school’s students. Finally the principal gave us certificates. The ending was very heartbreaking, everybody was crying and it was so beautiful.
Saturday
As the official program ended on Friday, We had a day off, when we could do whatever we wanted.
In the morning, we met early, so we could take the tram 28 in a less crowded schedule. It was a long ride all the way down in the center of Lisbon, as we’ve seen lots of stunning panoramas from hilltops.
After that we took a train to Sintra, where we had a small trip around the national park as well as the gardens.
We took a bus to the most western point of the Iberian peninsula, where we had an amazing view to the Atlantic Ocean, as well, it was so hot I couldn’t beleive it’s October.
Last, but not least, we visited a local beach at Cascais so we could touch the ocean with our feet. (It was freezing cold)
Then everyone had a last dinner with their hosts. And we came home on Sunday.