OUR TRIP TO ROMANIA (07.05.2014-12.05.2014)
We are Andrew, Afroditi, Akrivi and Dionisis and we are
happy to present you our Comenius trip to Romania as
representatives of Greece. We were accompanied by
our teachers Maria Birba, Magda Argyropoulou,Sofia
Malesi, Aimilia Nikolakopoulou and Betty Prentza and it
was a wonderful experience for all of us.
Wednesday 07.05.2014
Our trip began at 11.00 am from Pyrgos to “Eleftherios
Venizelos” airport in Athens. From there we departed to
our first destination, Bucharest. After a short time we
flew to Iasi where we arrived at 11 o’ clock at night. At
the airport we met the Romanian host families who
drove us to their homes. Our teachers also went to relax
at their hotel. After a delicious dinner at homes we
exchanged presents and we were happy to meet such
wonderful and good-natured people.
Thursday 08.05.2014
Our first visit to the Romanian
partner school was about to take
place. At 8.30 we reached Colegiul
National “GARABET IBRAILEANU”.
After a really warm welcome we
were shown around the school, a
spacious two-floor building with
long corridors, teachers’ offices,
labs, a well-cared
library and a quite
large courtyard. Then
we attended lessons
and we were
impressed by the
attention and the
interest of the
students throughout the lesson. After that, guest and
host students discussed the project in order to work out
an online newspaper using articles we had already
written and brought with us. To be honest, no one felt
like working a lot so we gave up quite early! At about 2
o’ clock we were offered a variety of dishes and desserts
as well as soft drinks. They were delicious. In the
afternoon we attended a very amusing performance by
the host students. They sang and danced for us and we
were told that most of the performing students had won
awards in competitions. After an exciting day our night
was free so we had the opportunity to get a glimpse of
the nightlife in Iasi, accompanied by our new friends
from Romania. We had a unique time with them and all
these memories will definitely remain with us.
Friday 09.05.2014
When we arrived at school we saw all the students in
the courtyard holding and waving yellow and blue
balloons because as
we were told they
were celebrating
Europe Day. After that
we headed for Copou
Park, where Eminescu, the
most famous Romanian poet
used to sit under a lime tree
and get inspired. There, at
Eminescu’s statue next to the tree we were
told one of his famous poems. Our next stop was at the
Museum of “Alexandru Ioan Cuza “University which has
two sections. One of them contains exhibits from the
Neolithic culture of Cucuteni which flourished from
4500- 3000 B.C. We saw beautiful painted pottery, tools,
weapons, ornaments and a
reconstruction of a typical Cucuteni
dwelling. The other section presents
science books, laboratory instruments,
photos (professors and students) and
documents concerning the
development of the university.
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Very close to the museum is the
university, the oldest higher education
institution in Romania. It is a landmark
of the city with 15 faculties and more
than 25, 000 students.
On the ground floor we were amazed to see the famous
Hall of the Lost Footsteps, a long corridor with arcades
and marvelous frescoes. After a small coffee break we
continued our stroll. We saw the exterior of two holy
places and listened to their legends: the first was the
Church of Saint Paraskeva, the Patron Saint of Moldavia
and the second one was the Three Hierarchs’ Church. It
would be very interesting to see the holy relics of Saint
Parascheva inside the church but it was not open.
After that
we
headed
towards
the
Palace of
Culture,
the
symbol of
Iasi city
but unfortunately the restoration works inside it did not
allow us to see its interior. A lunch break at the Food
Court in the shopping centre of Pallas
Mall was necessary. Our next stop was at
Golia Monastery from the top of which
we had the chance to see the whole city.
Our evening was free and it was time we
got some rest. Another exciting day was
over.
Saturday 10.05.2014
Our fourth day began
with our departure
from Iasi to
Pascani,Targul
Neamt,Durau,
Varta Dornei.
Actually we
were heading
for Eastern Carpathian Mountains.
First we visited Neamt Citadel where we were told a
legend concerning Stephen the Great and how his
Mother’s encouragement and perseverance led him and
his army to a great victory.
After a break we visited
Neamt Monastery and
the Lake mountain
Spring. After a hearty lunch we went along Bistrita
Valley. The green landscape was superb and it was
getting even better despite the rain which started at
some time. Lush vegetation, fir trees and the awesome
mountains composed an eye-pleasing sight difficult to
forget. What is also worth mentioning is that a lot of
legends are associated with the areas we were passing
by so throughout the journey we had the chance to
listen to them by the Romanian students. Then we
stopped at
Zugreni cottage
for a coffee
break. At about
seven o’ clock
we arrived at
Vatra Dornei
resort for
accommodation
A special dinner
followed and some of us stayed up with teachers and
we had a lot of fun.
Sunday 11.05.2014
In the morning we set off to visit a hotel named
Dracula’s Castle. There in full darkness we went down
some steps into a very narrow room with a coffin and
frightening pictures on the walls. A lady holding a candle
narrated the legend of Dracula. Suddenly there was no
light and the coffin opened. We all screamed but then
we laughed at the trick. But this was not over. While
leaving the basement we felt hands touching us and that
was another trick to scare us. Our
Romanian friends achieved their aim to
surprise us in such a way but it was so
funny after all! We had some free time so
we went to a nearby open-air market
where most
of us bought
what else?
Dracula
souvenirs!
Then while we were travelling along the Moldova River,
we were told the legend of Dragos Voda, the first ruler
of Moldavia. Our next visit was to the Voronet
Monastery, the symbol of Bucovina. It is one of the
most famous painted monasteries in Moldavia. The
extraordinary frescoes of bright colours against a blue
background (the renowned Voronet blue) on its exterior
walls depict religious figures such as saints, martyrs and
hermits as well as scenes from their lives and from the
Bible such as the Last Judgment. Then we arrived at
Draguseni Inn for a coffee break. There we said goodbye
to our Norwegian friends. Late in the afternoon we
arrived at Iasi. It was an eventful weekend full of
beautiful images from our journey and the sights we
visited but it was time to rest for the next day, our
departure day.
Monday 12.05.2014
Farewell moments are sad and moving but the time to
say goodbye had come. Early in the morning the host
families drove us to the hotel where our teachers were
staying. Our flight to Bucharest was at noon but there
was an hour’s delay and we almost missed our flight to
Athens. What a rush! Anyway, nothing could spoil that
unforgettable trip. Thank you Romania!