the legend of comenius tribe“european journey through legends” — comenius project — march...

“European Journey Through Legends” — Comenius Project — March –April 2010

The first day 2

The worlds is mine! 3

My Catalan diary 4

Comenius School 6

The extrano mucho

6

La Morenetta 7

I que est la veritat?

8

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

�6 For Europe!� �6 For Europe!� �6 For Europe!� �6 For Europe!� �6 For Europe!� �6 For Europe!� �6 For Europe!� �6 For Europe!�

Long long time ago, in a galaxy far away, ok, ok

not that long, not that far, actually it’s very close.

Behind seven rivers…behind thousands of moun-

tains…on a legendary island where no time was

passing, no bad things were happening…There

was a Comenius tribe which came on the island

from 6 different countries for a picnic, but stayed

forever. They were lead-

ing a happy life on this

island where the sea is

filled with fish and where

delicious meals were

appearing on the table as

soon as you start to

think about them.

Everything was great

until one day something

strange happened and

because of this, the dark

forces hidden in the nearby mountain woke up.

Everybody was scared, so they put the blame on

the others for this situation.

Some people were telling that it’s because of

Polish people who opened a bottle of Zubrowka

and forgot to scare away the demons. Others

didn’t agree with this because they didn’t be-

lieve there is evil hidden in vodka. They said the

The legend of Comenius tribe

demon was woken up by the noise of Turkish and

Greek people who were dancing and singing loudly

together. However Turks and Greeks refused this

idea by saying that it must be Spanish’s flamenco

dance which is responsible. Romanians also told that

it’s because of Italians who painted all the gondolas

in black when Italians blamed

them for telling scary Dracula

stories.

While they are arguing, it

started to rain heavily. The

mountains disappeared, the

sun left the sky, and the

weather became cold and

unpleasant. It seemed the

world is going to come to an

end. Fortunately, the oldest

members of the tribe remem-

bered the solutions and sent 6 braves to give a prey

to the gods and goddesses of the mountains……

( here the legend ends because the rest of the story

book was eaten by a cow and the cow ran away to

Apuseni mountains. It’s time to go there and find

the missing part to complete our story. Who wants

to complete it? :) )

Cemil GÜLBAHAR, Turkey

Our 5th meeting was in Barcelona: the richly historic, culturally diverse, and visually stunning Catalan

City that warmly welcomed us for a week. Barcelona is like an unpredictable but beautiful lady, showing us

her treasures: the beautiful monuments, impressive buildings, fantastic sculptures and perfectly balancing

her medieval intimacy with the grace and distinction of modernization. Then she displayed one of her

many facets and allowed us to share and adapt to her unpredictability in March! We had the opportunity

to enjoy the blue of the Catalan sky one day and the white of the falling flakes the next! In 24 hours this

cosmopolitan city was transformed into a winter wonderland wrapped in a cold blanket of white! This

fortunate occurrence allowed us to see her dressed in an unusual and attractive coat that gave us another

perspective! Barcelona is gorgeous, the food excellent, the people friendly and generous. They were most

gracious hosts, trying to satisfy all our wishes.

I had a great time in Barcelona and I appreciated the work done at the school, and all the activities that

were planned and organized. Finally, I would like to give a big “Thank You” to the headmaster and the

teachers involved in the program, but I would like to give a bigger “thank you “ to the marvelous students

of IES Menendez y Pelayo.

Patrizia Angelino, Italy

Hola Barcelona!

The most beautiful week in my life Well …when I left Romania I didn’t

know what to expect from Barcelona. I

heard from some friends that Barce-

lona is a beautiful city. When we ar-

rived in Barcelona after a gruel-

ing flight Me and my teachers

went to the reception at the

school. I met my partner and

she told me that the Catalan

people are celebrating the Saint

Medir Barcelona’s protector.

The streets were full of candies,

the town was like my sweetest

dream, the people were so kind

and friendly and they even gave

you the impression that you

know them. One of the things

that I liked in Barcelona was the

Gothic Quartier. The people

were dancing a specific dance. I had

the feeling that I was back in time, the

big, beautiful and old buildings gave me

that feeling. Another thing that caught

my attention was the contrast be-

tween old and new. I never saw a city

that has this quality of being cultural and

modern in the same time. I liked a lot

the tour of Barcelona in which I saw

Sagrada Famillia (oh dear God, it was so

beautiful!), Park Guell the most beautiful

park I ever saw in my life , and I saw

many parks, believe me ;) . In a moment I

was asking myself if it is real or I’m

dreaming???? I made a lot of friends and

we had a lot of fun together, I was visiting

some places that other people are

just dreaming to see them. My dear

friends were near me, all was like a

dream! After a while I had the an-

swer: yes!, everything is real!!!

When we left I had the feeling

that a part of me remained in

Barcelona and a part of my

heart to a family and the name

of that family is Comenius!!!!!!!

Briefly, I can tell you I made a

very good decision when I

joined this family!!! A great

experience with great people!

Everyone should visit Barce-

lona once in a lifetime because

is a magical place....

I wish to be another time in

Barcelona!!!:)

To be near my dear friends from my

dearest Comenius family … ohhh!

sweet memories!!

Cristina Boja, Romania

P A G E 2 T R A V E L I N G I T A L Y T H R O U G H I T S L E G E N D S

The first day (of the best days of my life) 3rd of March. I arrived at the high school, as every day, but I knew that it

was a day very different from the others. In the hall, there

were a lot of people: the Polish and the Italian team. I was

really nervous, because I didn’t know how to greet them. The

first contact was pretty “cold”. Xavi (the “public relations”)

introduced me, and I just said “hi”, and they said the same.

We spent all the morning with the Italian and the Polish, and

some of us went to the airport to pick up people from the

other countries. They were arriving during all the afternoon.

Meanwhile, we organized ourselves in “country groups” to

have lunch and spend the afternoon until the welcome show,

at 6:30 pm. I went with the girls of the Turkish team and their

partners. We had lunch in the house of one of them. We

started knowing each other, it was really pleasant. After that,

my partner, Güncay, and me went to the high school because I

had to rehearse for the show. Güncay and Onur, saw all the

rehearse. They were taking pictures, and making comments all

the time. They were quite surprised with our “crazy” attitude.

The show started with the welcome of our headmaster, the

performance of the school musical group, and the song of

Carolina. Then, it was our time. We asked everybody to stand

up and dance. I think that everyone had a great time. I was

really happy singing, and seeing everybody jumping, dancing,

singing and shouting. Some of them (the Greeks I think) even

danced up in the stage. It was fantastic.

After the show we had a “pica-pica” dinner in the school

canteen. It was warm and friendly, because we started to

talk with everybody, we started knowing each other.

Then, we went to a traditional celebration of the city,

“Sant Medir”. We were collecting candies until the end of

the festivity. It was really funny, some of us even used an

umbrella to collect a huge amount of sweets.

When the festival it was definitely ended, we returned

to our houses.

And that was the conclusion of the first day (of the best

days of my life).

Helena Bausells Hernanz, Spain

T R A V E L I N G I T A L Y T H R O U G H I T S L E G E N D S P A G E 3

And finally, after several months of

waiting, I met my friends again. We

can say that they are my juice of

knowledge; because Comenius is the

one and the most powerful learning

tool that anyone can enjoy, even if you

are in your own country.

I love Barcelona. My city is plenty,

and surrounded, of many amazing

things that even the most simple per-

son will enjoy. The great architecture

works are in every single corner, the

amazing collections of art available to

everybody; indoor and outdoor, the

bohemian atmosphere of the city

center, the beaches and the sea, the

beautiful mountains of Montjuïc, Tibid-

abo and Montserrat and too many

things that can't be listed here because

it would be endless. Unfortunately we

couldn't show our guests all those

magic places; so we considered this

trip just a kind of 'sneak peek' and we

expect them to come back and dis-

cover all the magic that “the Diva”

Barcelona (featuring Camelia's imagi-

nation ;) ) and its people can offer.

So, what have I got from the

Comenius experience this time? First

of all I got the luxury of being between

amazing people from everywhere!

Some classics like Mr. Spanos, Mary,

Patrizia, Camyk, Kadir, Simona, Cemil-

teacher, Magda, Angeliki. And new souls

to my collection like my loved and beloved

Eleni. Only the best teachers can organize

the best learning experiences!

But who are the kings of the hill? The

kids! (yaay!). My crazy Italians, my super

cute Polish girls, my smart and inimitable

Greek girls, my Romanian divas and the

funny and powerful Turkish team! I'm also

really proud of the Spanish team! Defi-

nitely the best hosts and the most beauti-

ful persons in the world. Teachers, kids,

myself.. I only can say that for one week

we ruled the world! X3

That's the best of all; the spirit of

our project is our people. Who could

teach us classic mythology in a funnier

way than Zahos and his kids? Who

could tell us Transylvanian stories like

Romenius team do? And who could

perform in order to show us local

legends from every corner in Europe

with better actors than the ones from

our Italian, Polish, Turkish and Spanish

teams?

The answers lived with us for a

whole week, a week that will stay in

our minds and our hearts forever. <3

Xavi Velasques, Spain

And that's how Xavi sees it, ¿Vale? :D

First of all, I want to say something; I love Barcelona. I love the people of Barcelona. They were

really friendly and helpful. I never got bored in Barcelona. We always had fun, because we were

together. Everybody was happy. Sometimes we had to be serious, because we had some works to

do. During our working sessions, I wasn’t so happy because we had to work in groups, but I’d

prefer working all together. I was in group Ramblas which is one of the streets in Barcelona. Our

teachers wanted us to work seriously, as if it’s possible. We wrote a script about Saint Cugat and

presented it, I was really funny because I forgot what to say. At the end of the sketches everybody

was smiling. Now I’m really bored, because during our staying I learned the things by experiencing,

and now it’s impossible for me to forget about them. When we returned to school, everything was

different even if we were away only for a week. I wish we had a chance to learn the things by hav-

ing fun like we did in Barcelona. I really miss my friends in there.

Thanks to this visit, I learned that my teachers are my friends and there are lots of things I can learn from them. But in the

school it’s different, because we always have to work. They have got lots of official works and we have to work really hard for

the university exam. I left Barcelona with many feelings and all of them are good. Now I have great friends, I spent a wonderful

week with them. I saw wonderful places and learned about their history. La Sagrada Familia, for example, it was fabulous. We

couldn’t see inside of it but anyway it was amazing. Montserrat was also a beautiful place; we were in the sky and felt like king of

the world ; we also learned about black virgin legend there. It was interesting, especially for us I think, because there were

many people who were walking through a narrow stairway just to see and touch the Black virgin. I’ve experienced many things

actually during my staying, but the most important thing for me was being together with my dear friend Xavi. I really miss you

dude. I hope to see you soon, maybe in Romania ?!

Your dear Comenius boy, Onur KARA, Turkey…...

The World Is Mine… Thanks To Comenius!

My Catalan diary Wednesday 3 march

Everyone arrived of course with some delays. Soon we get to know each other and tried to understand each others names…very difficult task believe me. And then excitement and nervousness appeared…what will be the house that I am staying? I will feel comfortable there or not? And many other questions. After arriving home these questions seem to have disappeared... Catalans are very hospitable. They made me feel like I was in my own home from the first time, they asked me if I wanted something to eat and if I wanted to make a shower. Gener-

ally it was a great first approach.

Thursday 4 march

Climbing to Montserrat…ok not exactly climbing but it was really high. We went by bus to a train station and waiting.

Some people were eating, others discuss-ing but Zaharias was making that he knows to do well…jokes. And he didn’t stop teasing everyone there by throwing down their bags. It was then that we gathered for the first time as the “Aribau” team and formed our slogan…Aribauuuuuuuu…yelling like wolves. While we were entering the train Za-harias (again) was pretending to be the controller machine to find out if someone shouldn’t enter the train because he was dangerous. Next we took the funicular to go at the top and we went to prohibited areas to take some artistic photos…and we did! Of course we visited the monas-tery and saw the Black Virgin as well as making noise…what else!!! And then we visited the gallery…ok I can’t deny that the paintings were valuable but the man following us like a dog really got on our nerves. As if we would steal something… maybe a Picasso. As we were going down

our efforts to take artistic photos didn’t stop but Maria tried unsuccessfully to pho-tograph the view from the top. Back to the train he had some lessons about learning how to sing a Spanish baby song (sol sou let…) but also we taught Spanish kids the hymn of PAOK (wherever we are we never

forget you).

Friday 5 march

Oh such a long morning…the day of pres-entations. The Greek team as always was really well prepared (!!!).Undoubtedly we had the best outfits (Comenius T-shirt that it took me a long time to decide which stamp to have) but I can’t say that we have very good organization skills. Zaharias was missing as we were trying to find our pres-entation (for which he had made a lot of rehearsals…in the airplane). Finally, the result was good (as the others told us) despite the fact that we were very nervous. And later on we attended a show that we will never forget. An actor came to present us the birth of the Gods in a quite unusual way really dramatically I would say. While

Maria was supposed to take photos of him I had to record him and as a consequence no memory was left in my camera! Then I realized than Maria was taking photos of me without even notice it…bad Maria. Later on we tried “paella” for the first time…it was fine but the shrimps were impossible to eat. Every day the program was full so we couldn’t but visit the town of Sant Cugat were a famous legend was born. After a guided tour and in the monastery and after a great sleep (e Zaharias?) we

gathered and expressed our ideas about the legend each team should write. One of the Aribau girls wanted to include a cow in the legend and others wanted bad Abbots and talking birds so we composed a really surreal story. Before living we took many

photos with the giants in the entrance. The most spectacular thing we saw were “Castelles” the human pyramids. Later we ate “kempab” at “Istanbul” and then we went to a bar were we had a whale of a time playing billiards and table football and dancing. That was the best night in

Barcelona!!!

Saturday 6

march

It was the day we had to make our thoughts a scenario for an original leg-end…But no one seemed to be interested in this…if we find internet we won’t write the legend…of course we get connected in facebook. Right Aribau??? Well, we didn’t make much progress but at least we ex-changed e-mails to keep in touch. After the “delicious”:-P meal at school we went on a Barcelona tour where we had “enough” time to see the sights. Actually, the guide was saying “you have 5 minutes to see the sight and then back to the bus”. So gener-ous! And as if this were not enough, Fani would be robbed by someone but luckily a girl realized it and told her. That’s why I always had my bag in front of me…After visiting many places, including the a very-

very small part of Sagrada Familia where we had no time to see anything and to buy any souvenirs (whatever) we went to Park Guell where we bought lollipops and chips because we were starving. The toilets were full but we had no patience to wait and as we were leaving we noticed a sign which said “Gracias” and was showing a man picking up the waste of his dog!!! At night we went on a reggae concert that didn’t live up to our expectations. Lots of smoke in an interior hall made us breathing



with difficulty. The plan was to go to a bar and we ended up there. Not to mention that Fani and Luca lost each other and they couldn’t return home…But Finally everything was ok…me and my partner, Carlota took the metro which I loved from the first day and went home walking for a little in nightly Bar-celona which was absolutely beautiful. Then I contacted with my friends in Greece and fell asleep with Linda, Carlota’s dog lying in my

feet…

Sunday 7 march

We headed for Sitges, a town near the sea-side. The weather was rather rainy but this didn’t prevent us from being excited...We visited many museums where photos were prohibited but Zaharias did his miracle for one more time…when he thought that no-body was looking he was taking pictures. The result was the photos to be shaken as if they had been in the blender!!! What’s more we tried to distract guide’s concentration to be able to take pictures! Inventive minds!!! For once more we took artistic photographs

showing Efi talking on the phone in front of an old wagon and some else showing roast chick-ens in a shop window…Well, the walk made many of us hungry so we did a raid in the nearby super market to be supplied with bis-cuits and chocolates as the Turkish teachers and Zahos (as always) posed for our cameras as if they were angry with each other! Later on, we tried once more the local dish “paella” and in the end of the lunch we took the caps of the ice-creams so as to use them in the play of Aribau team…If anyone wanted to go to the toilet he had to wait for hours…too many people for one toilet! And then free time…we went for a walk in the coast and saw two amazing sand-statues. Then three of us had the idea to limb some rocks which were leading in the sea but the time went by and the others reminded us that there was time to go back. In fact Helena a Spanish girl learnt some Greek words which she used really well. She was screaming “elate tora” which means “come here now”. Then we met the others and played rugby in the sand with-out shoes and with a plastic bottle. Some kids from France joined us and we had a great game. But you can’t play in the sand without getting dirty…I know that well. Xavi dropped me down and I ate a lot of sand and my clothes were full of it! After the game we returned to meet the teachers but they were-

n’t there…and after much time we met and went to the coach. But the Greek team was restless and had a fever to go to Camp Nou the famous football stadium. We had promised to our friends back in Greece to bring them some grass from the field…they are still waiting for it!!! Afterwards, we took the metro (3 Greeks and 2 Spanish) and in front of our eyes 3 youngsters tried to steal a man that was with a transvestite. A chaos some were pushing the alarm and the police came immediately. We were really shocked and terrified and Efi wanted to get off the metro but the thieves soon left and we reached our destination without other

unexpected incidents.

Monday 8 march

The day that every Barcelonan was over the moon because it was snowing heavily all day!!!!!!!! We were at the Sarria town hall when the first flakes started to fall…everyone was literally screaming because in Barcelona it hasn’t snowed for 20 years!!! Of course we went to Maremag-num a huge commercial centre that has mirrors in the top where everyone takes photographs so we took too but after many efforts because Zahos with his artis-tic ideas wanted to take the perfect pic-

ture so we were waiting over his head for at least five minutes! I also have to men-tion than we saw many Greeks there that were surprised to see us. We had some time to buy souvenirs and Spanish boys helped me to get the original T-shirt of Barcelona that my brother had asked me to give him. We also bought some other

presents for friends and family. And then, visit to the aquarium!!! It was beautiful really beautiful…we saw many fish as Dory and Nemo but also sharks swimming over our heads…amazing experience. Surely we couldn’t leave without explor-

ing the submarine and taking photos in the “shark’s” mouth! Back to the school we played snow-war without even have gloves and we made a snowman. Maria and me drew in the snow and actually ate it! Yummy…After these, we were supposed to rehearse for the evening show but do you know what everybody did? They got connected in Facebook. So some-one had to finish the story of the pink cow that’s why I and other two Span-ish wrote the end and painted the drawings which would help us act in the play. And now about the play…everything was held up well…almost. At the end he gave “pink butter” in the audience. At the end of the night each country showed the movie about their legends and myths and we have to say that the Greek movie was the funniest. Finally, some of the kids went to eat in a restaurant and

others went home…

Tuesday 9 march

The best day and the worst because we had to say goodbye to all are foreign friends from Catalonia, Tur-key, Poland, Italy and Romania. We lived with them one week so we love them so much…That day we gath-ered in “Sala d’actes” and taking pho-tos with every single person. We wrote in other flags some words so as to remember us. Later we went shopping and buying the last presents and souvenirs. I had to admit that I didn’t make up my mind quickly and I had to hurry up because he had to go to the airport. And there, Catalans were waiting for us and I felt so moved that I cried. We said goodbye once more, hugged each other and left…just like that…The problems couldn’t be missing as I lost my pass-port and there was a problem with my ticket…But finally everything was ok. In the check-in there was a prob-lem with Fani that was soon solved. Some hours later we were at Zurich buying chocolates for our families. And when we felt thirsty we went to buy a bottle of water but it cost 5 euro!!! In the flight there were many Greeks…it was late at night so we slept and dreamed of the past few days that we spent in Barcelona with all these people that we’ll miss so much. I wish there was Comenius every year and I hope to see them again some day…Bye bye. I miss you all…and I love you. I promise I’ll never forget this week. Ha sido un placer conoceros (It was nice to meet you). Muchas gracias por

todo…Hasta luego! Adios!

Comenius Greece

Moreover, in the Italian education

system, there is one more year than in

Greece. Also, we were informed that it is

quite easy to get in the university but only

few finish it. In Greece, things are quite

different, because getting into university is

as hard as finishing it. One thing that

really impressed me was that all students

how the opportunity to choose a lesson

they want to attend, far instance infor-

matics, cooking, arts etc. that action is

very important for the students because

they gain practical skills for the lessons

and exercise their interests.

To sum up they journey to Italy was

very interesting and helpful for me to

understand the differences in the coun-

tries educational system, which otherwise

I wouldn’t know. It was amazing to have

the chance to see and know the others

country.

Georgia Klifopoulou - Greece

Greece and Italy are both European

countries but although they are near

to each other, they have a lot of differ-

ences in their educational system, from

the school accommodation. So many

tings impressed me during my stay to

Italy.

To begin with, the first impression I

had when I first saw the school build-

ing in Reggio Emilia was that it was

very big, concerning the school in my

country. Also the sport accommoda-

tion was incredible, since it has 2 foot-

ball and one basketball pitches. Some-

thing else I noticed was that there

were many special laboratories for

instance, for chemistry, computers and

physics. Another thing was that stu-

dents there have more freedom and

that can be seen from the fact that

they are allowed to have wallpaper in

the walls of their favorite singer actor

or TV show.

Impressions from the Italian school and the educational system





















country.








Italy.
















or TV show.



I was in Barcelona almost 3

weeks ago. It was really enjoying

because it was my first time in

abroad and I met many people

and learned about their cultures.

It is easy for all of us to visit a

foreign country, but I don’t think

it would be the same as this one,

because I was hosted by a Spanish

family and had a chance to see

their way of life with my own

eyes, because of this I feel myself

very lucky.

I think Barcelona is a very beauti-

ful city and its people are really

friendly. My partner and her fam-

ily were also very nice to me.

I had heard about the places in

Barcelona and seen some pictures

of them before going there. This

time I was there to see them

instead of their pictures; the most

amazing one was La Sagrada Fa-

milia. When I heard that it is un-

der construction for 25 years I

was really surprised. The other

place I liked very much was

Aquarium of Barcelona. We could

see there different kinds of fishes.

Other places we visited were

Montserrat where we learned

about Black Virgin and Saint

Cugat monastery where we in-

vented a story to perform in

groups.

Seeing new places and learning

about them were great, but the

most important thing for me was

having a lot of friends. We

danced, sang, worked, walked

around, played many games, espe-

cially when we were at the sea-

side. I still have some sand in my

shoes :). Briefly, we had a really

nice time together. I wish I could

stay there a little bit more. I love

all of my friends very much and

hope we will meet again soon.

Güncay ÇEPE, Turkey

Comenius

Connecting People These seven days we stayed in Barce-

lona except that we

spent many hours on

the streets of know-

ing the city and saw

the landmarks but we

spent several hours in

school children is

known as Menendez.

Whether it defines it

as a meeting place for

children and teachers

to follow the pro-

gram of the day, ei-

ther to each country presented their work had prepared but also to create ourselves

in our work requested. In these hours we sit there, I discovered many things about

their school.

But let us begin from the outside of their school .Their school had five floors, the

courtyard there were several great having two basketball courts, a football field but

also a gymnasium where there were four tables tennis, a class with basketball

and layers. Once you go inside the school see the registry where the host can be in

and serve in that if you want. Behind the secretariat is an administration office and

dealing with issues of school. On the ground floor we could see a large auditorium

where there are often organized various events and parties for example the welcome

party where they prepared for all the country the first day, but also to present our

work.

Apart from this, but there was a ground floor corridor where the cross we find a

very large library with large desks and computers where children can find information

on the work that interested them and choose their own. Also there was the teachers'

room and down of hall there are the dining room where the children were eating

their breakfast and their lunch. In all other floors could see the rooms you have chil-

dren, but class and the rooms were some specific courses, for example, computer

science, chemistry and the like. Finally saw the corridors storage areas children could

put their personal belongings.

Ιn their class room there are a computer on the desk of Professor which is stored

in the intervals in a closet that was next, and a projector. The children when they

were in their classrooms after the teachers taught the lesson at the end of their leave

to work in teams of four or five people for prepare a project according to what they

told the teacher. I was impressed by the classes had made for each country by putting

paintings on the walls were painted by children as the country belongs to this c lass.

Regarding children's learning had a rich curriculum and choose their own depending

on what they want to follow in the future for this reason there was a counsellor at

school that help children get the right decision about their future.

From all this, the more complicated that even now I do not understand is the sys-

tem with the bells because sometimes beat the buzzer and the children went out for a

break sometimes does not come out.

The school operated by the eight in the morning when the children went to class

until nine at night. When children leave school was still doing course work in some

children who wanted to get to a university and need help. As for the cleanliness of the

school need not say much after everything was perfect there was no chance to find

trash on the floor below and is due and cleaners who were in school all day but also

the children themselves.

Comenius Greece

Comenius School


On a rugged carved mountain not far from Barcelona lies one of the most popular destinations of the Catalan region and Spain: the statue of the Black Madonna.

According to the legend, the statue was discovered in the year 880 by some shepherds who have seen a strange light on the sky and heard music coming from a cave in the mountain. From that moment on the statue remained on the Montserrat mountain becoming one of the most famous pilgrimage sights in Spain.

The statue became more and more famous after people started reporting miracles and attributing it mystical healing powers. In 1881 the Montserrat Madonna was crowned in accordance with Canon Law and proclaimed patron saint of Catalonia by Pope Leo XIII.

Its fame still attracts flocks of pilgrims who come to the sa-cred mountain either to take part at the monks’ daily celebra-tions of Mass and recitations of the Liturgy of the Hours ei-ther to visit the Basilica, next to the monastery, to see La Moreneta.

The Holy Grotto( Santa Cova) were the statue was discovered by the shepherds can be visited by following the walking paths or taking the funicular.

The Black Madonna of Montserrat

“La Morenetta”

Another attraction point of the Monastery is the 50 member Esco-lania, one of the oldest and the most famous boys’ choir in Europe. The choir dates back from the 13th century. At 1 pm daily you can hear them sing "Salve Regina" and the "Virolai" (hymn of Montserrat) in the basilica.

There are many stories about the black Madonna and the moun-tain, who many believe to be magic and some say she guards the Holy Grail, but we can never deny that she will always be the symbol of joy and hope for millions of her worshippers.

Ioana Nicodin, Romania

Thanks to our teachers and Comen-

ius Project, we spent a wonderful

week in Barcelona. Our friends who

experienced to be part of this Project

had told us many things and we had

seen the photos on our Comenius cor-

ner and this time it was our turn, so we

were really excited.

Our journey started at 3.45 am. It

was really early but who cares, it was

already impossible for us to sleep.

When we arrived in Barcelona, we

were met by Xavi and he took us to

their school where we met the others.

We talked and learned about each

other and in the evening, they pre-

sented a welcome show they prepared

for us, it was really nice. Then on the

other days, we visited some interesting

places, visiting those places with my

new friends was really enjoying. One of

the places which are really interesting

was Montserrat, we learned there

about Black Virgin. It is said that if you

touch Black Virgin’s hand, this will bring

you a good luck.

Te Extraño Mucho! (I missed you so much!)

Everything was perfect until our last

day. I was really sad on that day because

it was time to leave. I have already

missed them, we spent wonderful time

together. I think I have to say a big

“THANK YOU” to my Catalan friends,

because I had the most beautiful week

of my life with them. Everything was

perfect. My family who hosted me was

helpful and friendly and my dear house-

mates, Julia and Berta, what can I say

about you my beautiful twins? I’m going

to miss you much. I love you. I hope we

will meet again in future.


I que est la veritat?

I don't want to repeat all the words which a traveler will say when he returns home from Barcelona ... because you probably will hear only Barcelonaaaaa, hmmmm, a dreeeeeeeeaam!...., Barcelonaaaa, huh, increeeeeeeedible!..... Barcelonaaaaaa, aa-maaaaaaaaa-zing! ... "La veritat"? Good question! I don't think to exist any country which is beloved before you have the chance to meet "her" , before you have the chance to saw "her face", as is happens with Spain. Off course, God has blessed America, and even so, He laid on the shoul-ders of Spain, magical and priceless gifts, which are founded when you have the chance that, at least once in a lifetime, to feel and share with friends, the Spanish spirit. And if I had received at least one penny for every time I heard that there is somebody "in love with Barcelona", I would be rich, very rich! From my point of view, I can not say it was love at first sight, but I would say, I still learn to love Barcelona, like as a pretender who is learned with tact, patience and desire to get more love for and from a Diva which is used to be in the spotlight, which is used to be adored. But really, what is the truth about Barcelona? That "she" is be-tween heaven and soul? That "she" is the answer to all that a traveler may desire: history, culture, architecture, sports, dance, and passion,

mild climate, excellent cuisine? That is a cosmopolitan city that has managed to combine successfully the past with modern times? I wonder what you could ask more than that? I will always remember with nostalgia, the crowded streets no matter if those are broad or narrow, the harbor who's hosting small but also giant boats, the never-ending stars' hunters statues from the sea, the orange fruit of the orange three, the Mercat de la Boqueria, the old bustling market since 1217 which is so rich that you can rightly be consider it as a true cornucopia, where the spoil could receive unprecedented delicious forms. I could live for a long-long time there. What colors, what shapes, what flavors haunt my mind, soul and taste's papilles … or maybe, for some of us, not! As soon as I got off the plane, I felt in the air the smell of our former holidays! It's smelling great, even if the sea was still too shy to show us more closely than we spied "her" from the plane ... I don't like the idea of the sea in a summer time, but I found that I like to experience the sea in spring, when the sun is still shy, when the breeze is entangled in hair, when the sandy beaches are not so crowded, and when the sea could hear your intimate thoughts. I've discovered that Barcelona is a very-very stylish lady...and, honest, tell me, how else could you be, when designers like Gaudi took care of you and gave you such an impressive look? He played

with Barcelona's forms, giving life to the stones ... you feel like you're in a carousel, the colour are forming an incredible rainbow in front of your eyes, and the buildings are increasingly becoming so fluid ... It's magic!!! And the blessed wizard is the unique Gaudi. I think God called Gaudi to Him because He was afraid that Gaudi, in his genial-ity, will continue to play with art and divine colours trying to build the heaven on earth right here, on Barcelona …Barcelona is a magic place for magic people, it's a place for joy and madness. We found this joyful madness even in the women fashion - at "Desigual". The effect of thousands of colourful patterns dancing together under Mediterra-nean sun, creating a huge masterpiece, is very impressive. Every day I take it over and over again, wishing from the bottom of my heart that this day to be longer than the passed days, and, if I don't ask too much, without rain. God had mercy and gave us snow. Sometimes He is very funny ! ت When I discovered Las Ramblas, I realized that the city lives in-tensely, to the maximum rate and it is so full of life. Las Ramblas is a marvelous street to walk along in Barcelona where you could meet the most amazing people on the world. Here we encounter two "angels", dark angels. There are people in costumes all along the street. If you

pose for a photo with them, you're expected to give them some money - ha!ha!ha! what a funny job!!! When the Sagrada Familia revealed to me, I felt tingles, it's great. When I was in the front of the "Sacred family's" house, I heard the song which was given to us by the angelic boys choir of Montserrat. The Parc Guell was an absolute pleasure ...I was paralyzed by so much beauty combined with a ludic/playful at-mosphere. It is amazing how you can feel the happiness there. And, because we are "talking" about the playful atmosphere: we had the chance to discover how the "human castles" are constructed here, in Barcelona. The "human castle" is a cultural phenomenon, particular to Catalonia, and consist of erecting human towers, like a symbol of the team work ,that allows to reach very high and difficult targets. Of course, for a moment we betrayed the Catalan spirit, and maybe, our host won't forgive us… I'm not a dance specialist, but it was impres-sive to see the power, the vibrancy and the passion of the Spanish blood! She is really acting through its dance the entire love story. It seems she want to dance either with her body, with our minds, with her feelings, in a dynamic and a sensual way ... a beautiful and never ending love story, isn't it? I hope you enjoy to travel with my memories and, who knows, maybe together we will get the chance to fall in love, for one more time, with beautiful Spain. CaღyK, Romania


Something I really enjoyed ☺

I think it was the greatest week in my life I was in many countries and I saw many places but never so beautiful like in Barcelona. I love the idea of changing cul-tures ,traditions, languages and even mentalities. My worst fear was that I won’t be able to communicate with my colleagues and their teachers. When I arrived there I saw how friendly are the teachers and the children and I told myself : Criss you made a good choice when you de-cided to join in this project. When I’ve met my partner and her parents and I saw how great people are they all my fears disappeared . In that week I learned a lot of things and I had a lot of fun. Also I made many , many friends and finally I understood that we are same and the differ-ences between us don’t matter. I learned to work in groups , I saw what my colleagues do at school ,what sub-jects are they studying and many other things. Briefly, I can say this was the best choice I ever taken in my life!!! A great experience with great people ! That’s why I want to thank my teachers for the opportunity that they gave to me!!! In my point of view Comenius is a great idea. All the countries that are involved in this project worked together and the children also. My opinion about Comenius in Spain is a good one because I saw that everyone putted

heart and soul in what they did and they wanted all to be great for the others. The organisation was a good one, our schedule was also good prepared and everything was done for us. I have a great impression also about the teach-ers that were in Spain (Barcelona), they were so kind and very friendly that you didn’t had the im-pression that they are teachers, in a classical point of view. Every time they were looking for us , every time they asked us if we need something they were like our parents. I had also the opportu-nity to go at my partner’s classes and there I saw a different system of teaching; I had the impression that the teachers were quite different than ours. I don’t know in which way different but I had that feeling , I was very impressed when I saw that the children in the school were sitting on the floor and eating they sandwiches! They are more different than us are more educated than us because they respect the rules!! Again, I advise everyone who wants to join this project to do it with a lot confidence because it deserves !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





















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P A G E 1 2 T R A V E L I N G I T A L Y T H R O U G H I T S L E G E N D S

This project is financed with the support of the European Comitee through the Comenius Project. This material reflects only the authors opinion, thus the European Comitee is not liable for its content.

This material is realised by the ICT team of the Comenius project “European Journey Through Legends” || Coordinator: Camelia Kallos || March-April 2010

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