From Poland to Barcelona

In October 2011 our Primary School no. 2 in Mszana Dolna invited our friends from Catalonia, Hungary and Italy to Mszana Dolna in Poland. In April 2012 we were invited to Spain. Hungarian, Italian, Polish teachers and Polish students came to Barcelona for 5 days. There was also our mayor with us, who helped us to communicate in Spanish and met the mayor of Les Corts district of Barcelona. Our adventure in Catalonia and Barcelona started on Sunday in the airport of Katowice Pyrzowice . The plane flight from Poland to Barcelona went on during the beautiful weather so our students had the chance to watch amazing steep mountain slopes of the Alps covered with snow. Later we admired the picturesque seacoast of the Mediterranean sea. We reached our hotel in the Barcelona centre without any problems, using convenient couches and buses. Then we were warmly welcome by Catalonian teachers and parents. Our Polish students stayed at homes of some Catalonian parents for 5 days. This way our children had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with same customs, traditions and the way of life of Catalonian people and to practice English language in action. The whole 5 days of our stay in Catalonian capital Barcelona were full of sensations and we were very excited. Catalonian teachers organized our stay there very intensely and attractively. During our stay in Barcelona we had some meetings with Catalonian, Hungarian and Italian teachers and also with Catalonian parents. We took part in some arts, music and English lessons. We watched some traditional folk dances, drums parades and culture shows at school, and attended the show called “human tower”. The other day we went for a long walk among St. Jordi stalls in Rambla Catalunya and we tasted traditional Catalonian food like “Paella” with “frutti di mare”. We also visited 2000 year old “old town” of Barcelona together with its Gothic Quarter and the old cathedral – Santa Maria del Mar. The tradition of Comenius programme and meetings is planting “trees of friendship”, so our children together with Catalonian children planted the tree on the school playground. We also took a walk around the great harbor and port of Barcelona. Another day we walked along the “modernism route” created by unforgettable Gaudi- his masterpieces we will always remember. So we visited Casa Batllo and Casa Atmeller La Pedrera and also admired Sagrada Familia and Guell Park together with the panorama of the whole Barcelona from the top of Guell Park. We were the visitors in one of the best state secondary schools in Ses Corts district and we were invited to the Town Hall by the mayor of Les Corts district. The mayor had a very cordial and touching meeting with us, with our mayor and with our Polish students. Then he handed in some souvenirs to the Italian, Hungarian and Polish head teachers. On Friday, full of positive sensations but sad because we had to leave our Catalonian and Comenius friends, we came back to Poland by Wizzair plane. We were talking all the time, remembering the wonderful time in Barcelona, all friendly people and fantastic atmosphere. Soon we were landing in our country and Poland gave us a warm welcome with beautiful and sunny weather. Jerzy Karczewski Teacher of English