Course of the meeting in Portugal
The second meeting of Comenius project "Only aware can act fair. Students for sustainable food and trade" took place at Didáxis - Escola Cooperativa de Vale de S. Cosme in Portugal. The main subject discussed during the meeting was segregating and recycling of waste.
On the first day of the project all the participants got together at Didaxis School, which is situated in a picturesque village surrounded by forests and mountains. After a warm greeting of the principal we started our presentations concerning the project issue. Apart from that each team presented the cities they come from. The Finnish group was cheered when singing their national anthem. The atmosphere of the meeting was very friendly and natural.
An international snack was a traditional point of the program. We give our credit to our hosts for wonderful decoration of the food, and to the Turkish group, whose snack was not only lavish but also delicious. Visiting a catering factory was a very interesting experience for all of us. Never could we imagine how much effort should be made to prepare and deliver high-quality food and drinks to customers.
The second day of our stay started with a trip to the town of Famalicao, where we planned to visit the Youth house and Devesa park. The building of the Youth House is a great example of filling an old form with a new content, combining of history and present as an entirely new construction was built within the walls of an old college. We were shown around by students of Didaxis School, which was an additional advantage.
Devesa park perfectly fits into urban landscape of the town. There we could see community gardens where people grow small plots of vegetables. This allows citizens to grow their own food or for others to donate what they have grown. Hospitality and the smile of our guide more than compensated for cold and rainy weather.
We couldn't wait to see the city of Porto, a city declared as World Heritage by UNESCO, with its fascinating history and exceptional atmosphere. We had a great opportunity to experience both visiting House of Music, Bom Sucesso Market and the Sandeman Wine cellar. Designed by Rem Koolhaas, an architect from the Netherlands, Casa da Musica or House of Music in Porto was built as a part of the works done to welcome the European Culture Capital initiative and soon become an iconic city symbol.
All the visitors were greatly impressed by exquisite architecture and acoustic capacity of this marvellous building. One can't imagine Porto without tasting porto wine. And we were honoured being welcome in Sandeman wine cellar, one of the first companies to brand and label its wines. Dressed like a Spanish caballeros, our guide led us through the cellar corridors uncovering secrets of producing this noble drink.
The landfill we saw on the last day of our visit proved how much landfilling practices had to change in recent years to meet the challenges of the European Landfilling Directive. We also learned that a landfill can be a source of materials and energy.
The last but not least point of the agenda was visiting the seaside in Vila do Conde, one of the oldest settlements in northern Portugal. Breath-taking sights of the Monastery of Santa Clara, Aqueduct of Vila do Conde with the ocean in the background are worth admiring. Many mariners from the village were involved in the epic voyages during the Age of Discovery, the atmosphere of which one can feel going on board of a carrack in the harbour of the Vila do Conde.
We really appreciate tremendous job our host teachers and families made to organize our visit. Their hospitality and willingness to help warmed up our hearts in the stormy weather. Farewell to Portugal – a country of a unique culture, lively cities and beautiful countryside.