European Wanderer 2

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issue no. 2 June 2017

EUROPEAN WANDERER Not all those who wander are lost

Here we are again!

Yes, we are still around! We are a group of students from Bratislava (Slovakia), Messina (Italy), Wejherowo (Poland), Budapest (Hungary) and Athens (Greece). These five schools from Europe work side by side on a magazine full of articles written by their students about various topics which we like or we are interested in. However, we will also try to represent our countries and their history.

So many things have happened lately. We have got a couple of new members! Hungary and Poland have joined us. Enjoy our second issue of your EUROPEAN WANDERER!

Your European Wanderers Life is a book and those who do not travel read only one page “We travel, some of us

In this issue: Christmas Traditions:

forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.”

Typical Christmas and Easter Traditions. * Traditional Food and Family Celebrations. * Christmas Trees!

“Though we travel the

Castles, strongholds: 

- Anais Nin

Our “big” project - the interview about a unique 9th century castle from the period of Great Moravia at Svätý Jur (Saint George) with Mr Julius Vavak at the Little Carpathian Museum at Bratislava - the first silver Arabic coin found in the territory of Great Moravia  

world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Castles on the island of Crete, Greece,

Germans’ Headquarters in the Mazurian Forests

Life at our schools: 

Upper Secondary School No.1 in Wejherowo - I Liceum Ogólnokształcące w Wejherowie King Jan III Sobieski, Poland  

Erasmus trip to Spain by the Greek Wanderers,

Our School Play: 'The yard of Miracles'' by Iakovos Kampanellis, 

Our Lecture: The Modern Slavery by Martha Mendosa

And more ...

Cover illustration: Fortezza is the fortress of the city of Rethymno in Crete, Greece.

Back illustration: Jakub Wejher’s Square in Wejherowo and his

monument are well-known tourists attractions. Poland.

Copyright © 2017 European Wanderer. All rights 2 reserved.

La Salle School / Bratislava (Slovakia)

4th Senior High School of Zographou / Athens (Greece)

Liceo Statale / Messina (Italy)

Arany János Általános Iskola és Gimnázium, Hungary

Zespół Szkół

Ponadgimnazjalnych nr 1, Wejherowo, Poland

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CHRISTMAS & TRADITIONS IN OUR COUNTRIES

Christmas in Hungary by the Hungarian Wanderers In Hungary the Christmas tree is decorated on Christmas Eve. In addition to the usual decorations, we also put fondant candies on and under the tree. According to the Hungarian tradition, the Christmas presents are brought by Baby Jesus on Christmas Eve. As for Santa Claus, he visits on December 6 bringing sweets and presents for those wellbehaved children who put their clean shoes on the windowsill the night before.

Typical Hungarian Christmas dishes include: fish soup or bouillon, stuffed cabbage, roast turkey with stuffing, and the famous poppy seed or walnut rolls.

The poppy seed or walnut roll is a traditional Hungarian pastry, mostly eaten during the winter holidays. It is basically a sweet bread, known as “bejgli” in Hungary. During the last few decades other variants (such as chestnut, plum jam, prune, or even cocoa) have become popular, too.

Did you know? Poppy is widely consumed in many parts of Central and Eastern Europe.

The sugared, milled mature seeds are eaten with pasta, or they are boiled with milk and used as filling or topping on various kinds of sweet pastry. In countries where eating poppy seed is not so common, people think that it can be dangerous or even lead to a positive drug-test.

Another typically Hungarian Christmas sweet is ”szaloncukor” (literally: parlour candy), which is a type of sweets, traditionally associated with Christmas in Hungary. It is usually made of fondant, covered by chocolate and wrapped in shiny coloured foil. It is often used as decoration on Christmas trees, hung on with strings or small metal hooks.

Fondant candies originally came in a few flavours (vanilla and strawberry for example), but now there is a wide variety of different kinds of candies, including jelly, coconut, hazelnut and lots of other flavours.

As far as Christmas fairs are concerned, among the many Budapest Christmas markets, one of the most popular ones is held on Vörösmarty Square, in the heart of the city’s 5th district.

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This traditional Budapest Fair is a great place to get your unique Christmas presents, as here you can always find some exclusive and hand-made art products and all kinds of decorations, made with authentic techniques. While you’re looking for the perfect gifts or winter souvenirs, you can enjoy a variety of programs, listening to folk music, taking part in a Christmas tree decorating competition or sipping mulled wine and feasting on the traditional Hungarian dishes and cakes from the open kitchens around the square. If you haven’t been to this fair yet, you should try “lángos” (deep-fried bread dough, usually topped with garlic, sour cream and cheese) and “kürtös kalács” (hollow, cylinder shaped pastry, baked over an open fire with ground walnut or other sweet coatings), but you will have an extra hard time choosing what to eat this time. A novelty in recent years has been the even wider selection of culinary delights - stuffed cabbages, grilled meat and fish, strudels and the other Christmas delicacies.

Christmas 2016

by Segui-Fábián Eszter, Hungary This year the Christmas break was very short. Although I wanted to stay home more I had a good time. Before Christmas we went shopping with my mother and my brother since the rest of the family was in Spain. Everyone was home by Christmas Eve, my grandparents came to our place and we gave each other presents. I also bought a few presents for the family.

On the next morning we got our presents from our parents and so did my parents from each other. At midday we went to my grandparents’ house and so did my cousins. We had lunch and after that we gave each other presents and had a good chat. We went home at night. The next day we stayed at home. It was a good Christmas this year.

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Christmas

by Ivanics Oresztész, Hungary This year Christmas was the same as always we ate a lot, played a lot and slept a lot.

At home we always share housework. I am the one who wraps the presents so I always know what everybody gets and because I am the strongest I bring the stuff down from the attic and I take it back. My mother cooks and my step-father tidies up. My big brother has the easiest job he decorates the tree.

When I’m with my father it’s complicated. I with my brother decorate the tree and clean, my father and step-mother usually cook a lot. It’s important because it is my little brother's birthday on 26th of December and the whole family and friends come over and of course they also bring food so it’s a complete feast.

That’s usually my Christmas.

My Christmas

by Laboranovits Levente, Hungary This time we were quite in a rush.

We couldn’t get anything done only on the last day before Christmas Eve. My father and my little sister went to buy a Christmas tree while my sister and I were cleaning up and cooking for the next day. On the 24th of December the family were home celebrating. We started the evening with eating Thai chicken soup and sushi just like always this day. Then we gave the presents each other. The next day we went to Velence to my grandma’s house where the whole family got together to celebrate. We ate a lot there too. There was fish soup, breaded fish and chicken. We gave them the presents we bought them, went for a walk on the shore of the lake and then went home. On the third day we went to my other grandma’s place. There we had roasted duck with stewed cabbage and mashed potatoes.

That’s all about how I spent my Christmas.

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CHRISTMAS OF THE WRITERS „Hey there, at first Happy New Year. I had such a lovely time with my family during the Christ-

mas vacation. I was relaxing, watching my favourite Christmas movie: Home Alone. The older I get the less I care about the gifts, spending the time with my family and sleeping without the school is more important.“ Martin Horný, Slovakia „Christmas is by far my favourite time of the year. I get the chance to see all my friends and family

members that I haven't seen for a while. My parents and I along with my brother travel all the way to my village to see our grandparents and spend the week in our country house. Mom always have the table ready for the guests to come and my father with his siblings go hunting. As for me , I can't wait to see my cousins passing through my door's room and hug me. Our family tradition is simple: we just try to spend as much time with each other as possible and make new memories.“ Dimitra Lykothaanasi, Greece „I like to spend my Christmas doing things to feel closer to the Christmas spirit. Things like cook-

ing traditional dishes with my mom, singing carols door to door, watching my favorite movies like Harry Potter and reading books. Usually we meet all together with the rest of our relatives and having wonderfull time. Another thing that I love to do is spending time with my friends walking around Athens.“ Eleni Manou, Greece “Christmas is my most favourite holiday. Because my whole family is together. And my mum

bakes the most delicious gingerbread .We have a lot of courses. The best is fish with potato salad and cabbage soup. Together with my siblings we decorate our big Christmas tree. We get nice presents under the tree after dinner. Everybody watches Christmas stories: Cinderella, Mrázik, Perinbaba. I think, these movies belong to Christmas. Naturally we listen to carols all day long. Sure, we have a lot of traditions. We put money under the cloth. My father throws nuts to corners. To my mind, the most beautiful tradition is that on the Christmas table there is one extra plate. It is for an accidental guest. This custom symbolizes charity. Of course, all true believers go to the Midnight Mass. It is our most important tradition. Unfortunately, Christmas is just once per year.

Christmas has a magic atmosphere for me.”

Simona Kutná, Slovakia „For many people, Christmas is about gathering with friends and family to enjoy each others com-

pany and celebrate the holiday. This is the way I celebrate it. My whole family meet at my mum’s house. We prepare Christmas dishes together enjoying our company. As for traditions, Christmas is a very special time of the year when my whole family play board games together.“ Dominika Serowy-Talarowska, Poland

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Christmas in Poland

by Oliwier Siuda, Poland Christmas is considered to be the most important time in Poland. It might be because Poland is a very religious country or due to the fact that we all like sharing and spending time in a family atmosphere. Many traditions and customs of that time originate from Christianity. However, there are some traditions that develop just in Poland and have nothing to do with religion.

The night before Christmas is called ‘Wigilia’, which is Christmas Eve and the four week period before the celebration is called Advent. Every Sunday we go to church and light up a new candle on the Advent wreath, or Advent crown, as it is sometimes called. The most important day for us is Christmas Eve and a solemn family supper. Usually the youngest child in the family has to look for the star in the sky. It is the symbol of the Bethlehem Star and the rumour is that this particular star was shown to the three kings by God to guide them to the stable where Christ was born. So, as soon as it appears we sit at the table with twelve dishes representing twelve apostles.

According to tradition, bits of hay are spread beneath the tablecloth as a reminder that Christ was born in a manger. Also, there is almost always an empty place left at the table for an unexpected guest. Before the supper all family members have to break the Christmas wafers together and exchange wishes for good health and prosperity. During the meal, all guests should taste a bit of everything. That is quite challenging.

Christmas supper The first course is soup. It is either beetroot soup with mushroom-filled little dumplings, sour rye soup or mushroom soup. Then the dinner continues with pierogi or dumplings, as you might call them, with various fillings such as sour cabbage and mushrooms. Since the meal is meatless on a Christmas table you can find fish (especially carp) that may be fried or served cold in gelatine. Herrings in cream and oil is also popular.

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Other traditional Christmas Eve dishes are cabbage with peas and kutia, a dessert made of poppy seed, wheat berries and honey. Every dish should be at least tried as it brings good luck for the upcoming 12 months of the new year.

Right after Christmas supper, we give gifts to each other. For the youngest this is the most exciting part of Christmas. But not only for them. People love giving and receiving presents and sing Christmas carols. But that is not the end of the evening. At midnight between the 24th and 25th of December we all go to Midnight Mass. It commemorates the expectation and prayer of shepherds on their way to Bethlehem. This is one of the most important Polish traditions. In some churches there is a special Mass for younger children.

It starts at 8 p.m.

After Christmas Eve 25th and 26th of December are family days. Polish families go to church, everybody sings carols, enjoys themselves. It is the time when we go for walks and admire Christmas decora-

tion in our town.

We visit our family members and everybody is very kind and merry.

All in all, Christmas in Poland is a very joyful holiday that is awaited with great anticipation.

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Christmas in Slovakia

by Sára Solmošiová, Slovakia Christmas is one of the most important holidays of the year. Since Slovakia is predominantly a Christian country, you would hardly find a family who do not celebrate this holiday at all.

For Christians it represents mainly the presence of the child of God and the birth of the Messiah. This is the time of the year when every family unites and gathers at the dinner table.

The main emotions are peace, serenity, appreciation, community and we put emphasis on the importance of being loved.

The Slovak style of celebrating Christmas is different from other cultures because of the special traditions that we have. These include the following: decorating of the Christmas tree, Christmas Eve dinner on 24th December and very typical is the baking of traditional cookies and cakes which normally begins two or three weeks before Christmas.

I can give you an example of a typical Slovak Christmas routine in my family. From the early morning everybody is helping to get everything ready for the Christmas Eve dinner.

In the afternoon we meet our neighbours, relatives and other close friends to wish each other a Merry Christmas and all the best.

The old Christian tradition is to get the light of Bethlehem, which is kept in churches and should symbolize the presence of the child of God in our homes. At about 5 pm the whole family sits down at the table to experience the powerful atmosphere of Christmas.

The typical meal consists of the starter, which are waffles made of pancake pastry served with honey and garlic, followed by the cabbage soup. The main dish is fish, usually carp, with potato salad. After the dinner we offer gifts to our beloved. I have to admit, that for me it is a very special moment seeing my beloved happy. Then we just chill out in the living room and share our experiences. My grandparents always tell me stories from their childhood. After that we participate in the midnight mass in the Church to celebrate the arrival of Jesus Christ together.

Christmas tree in a Slovak family and the Christmas market in Bratislava, photos by Sára Solmošiová, Bratislava, Slovakia.

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by Laura Baumeisterová, Slovakia St. Nicholas day- sv.Mikuláš Slovak people also celebrate St. Nicholas’ day on the 6th December.

In Slovakia he’s known as sv. Mikuláš.

He comes in the night of the 5th December and gives presents to good children and for bad children he brings, for example, coal and onions.

They usually place their shoes near the door so sv. Mikuláš can fill them with sweets and fruit.

Advent During Advent there are lots of preparations to be made for Christmas.

This includes cleaning the house, baking, shopping and buying the Christmas tree.

Carps are also sold in the streets from big tanks because carp is eaten as the main meal on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the most important day during Christmas for Slovak people.

It is called „Štedrý deň” (the Generous day”.

The actual evening is called „Štedrý večer” (the Generous evening) and the Christmas season is called „Vianoce”.

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“My Christmas” ... by Ester Illéšová, Slovakia I think the most beautiful holidays are the Christmas holidays. Everyone is happy because of the days off and finally freedom. It’s snowing and we can build a snowman or just have a snowball fight.

And of course we can go to special Christmas markets, where we can buy gifts, hot chocolate, tea or punch… After the last day of school we pack our luggage and leave. The travelling takes about 3 hours and when we are bored on our route we play ,,bar kochba”. I think about something and the others have to ask questions to find it out. Sometimes we take our dog with us.

Christmas Eve morning When we wake up, first we take a huge breakfast because we follow the tradition: don’t eat and you will see a golden pig. My grandma starts to prepare dinner with my mom and we [my sister, my dad, me and sometimes my uncle] decorate the Christmas tree. Our Christmas tree is always special. One year a small one, the next the biggest … It doesn’t matter, because it is always beautiful. We decorate it with strings of lights, balls and stars. Then we secretly hide gifts under the tree.

Christmas dinner Our dinner includes cabbage (sauerkraut?) soup with mushrooms, fish like salmon or carp with potatoes or potato salad. But first we start with a prayer, then we eat an apple, a nut, garlic with honey.

Then we eat the dinner of the soup and fish.

Christmas evening After we have eaten everything we go under the tree and discover all the secrets. By the way we turn on our TV and watch traditional Christmas films like Cinderella. Besides we read books which we have got, or play games, eating all kinds of Christmas cookies. We always go to Christmas Holy Mass, in the late evening or on the next day morning. During the holidays, we travel to central Slovakia to visit our family. My great-grandmother is always happy when we visit her; she is very old and nice.

Usually the following week, we go on a ski holiday with our friends.

We usually ski in Austria.

But the best feeling of Christmas is the cookie smell mixed with pine needles. And that is why I love Christmas holidays.

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‌ by Viktória Valentovå,

Slovakia Like each family in this world, also my family has some traditions. On December 23th we decorate our Christmas tree.

At this time, every Christmas cake and pie is baked.

Before the dinner dad halves an apple. If there is a nicely formed star, our family will be healthy during the next year. Another tradition is that someone hides some coins or carp scale under the tablecloth for prosperity in the upcoming year.

Before the Christmas dinner we pray to God to thank Him for everything that happened during the year and ask him to bless our dinner. First on our "menu" is a wafer with honey and some fruit. It's generally grape, orange, tangerine, kiwi, peanuts, banana and garlic. After that we have soup with cabbage or soup with lentils. The last courses are fish with potato salad and little buns with poppy seed. After the Christmas dinner we open our Christmas gifts. When we have finished, we visit our grandparents and great grandmother to collect presents. At the end of the day, around midnight, we go to church for the midnight mass.

On 25th December we go to church again, because it is the day of Christ's birth. The rest of the day is mostly for rest and for visiting our close family.

These feast days aren't about presents. They are about being with family and people you love, about relaxing and forgetting your problems for a while.

Photos: Christmas market in Bratislava, Slovakia

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2 Christmas recipes

“I spend Christmas with my

by Kristína Kožíková, Slovakia

1. “Snehové pusinky” - Snow kisses we need: 4 egg whites

family, at home. We watch TV – Christmas fairytales and Christmas films. We eat a lot of sweets. Christmas is my favourite festival.”

300 g of crystal sugar Veronika Molnárová, Slovakia

procedure: beat egg whites until stiff add sugar

mix it over steam leave it on a baking sheet in the oven at 130⁰ for 2 hours

2. “Mačacie oči” - Cat eyes we need: 600 g flour 350 g butter Some powdered sugar a half baking powder 3 egg whites 1 spoon of vinegar jam

procedure: mix it all and cut it into small circles Repeat the procedure as with the snow kisses add some jam into the middle of it bake it at 160⁰- 180⁰ for 15-20 minutes

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Time of Joy and Happiness

THE MOST POPULAR CHRISTMAS SONGS IN SLOVAKIA

By Katarína Turóciová, Slovakia 1. Wham: Last Christmas It belongs to the most classic Christmas songs in history. It still keeps the first place in bestselling singles in the world and most played Christmas song.

2. Silent Night

The most popular Christmas carol resounds during the holidays really from every house. Silent Night was first played in the Austrian village of Oberndorf in 1818. Since then it has become the Christmas number one hit and it has been translated into 130 languages.

3. Jingle Bells The most popular winter song of all time. It was written in 1857.

4. Mariah Carey: All I Want For Christmas Is You One of the best songs by American singer Mariah Carey is more than the joy of Christmas and Christmas traditions it is about love.

5. Tublatanka: Let us brothers go to Bethlehem

Tublatanka wrote a new Rock form of the popular carol. So "Rockers" can also enjoy the Christmas atmosphere.

6. John Lennon: Happy X-mas (War is Over) No comment.

7. Lojzo and Miro Zbirka: Every day will be Christmas The group Lojzo with Žbirka have created one of the most beautiful Slovak Christmas songs. After all, who would not want to have Christmas every day.

8. Karel Gott: Where do you have your nest, bird?

This song is associated with the story “Three Nuts for Cinderella”, which is very typical for Christmas in Slovakia.

9. Chris Rea: Driving Home For Christmas Driving Home For Christmas belongs to those Christmas songs that everyone knows, but nobody knows who sings it. This Christmas hit, which was written in 1988 and got among the UK Top 40 songs straightaway.

10. Dean Martin: Let It Snow This is our last song from THE MOST POPULAR CHRISTMAS SONGS IN SLOVAKIA. Covered many times, this song Let it snow is best in the version from Dean Martin. This song is not about Christmas but it is related to it.

Source: https://diva.aktuality.sk/clanok/24370/11-piesni-bez-ktorych-by-vianoce-neboli-vianocami/ 15

GREEK CUSTOMS

by Lydia Malesiou and Eleni Manou Christmas angels

GREEK CHRISTMAS On Christmas Eve, children often go out singing 'kalanda' (carols) in the streets. They play triangles as they sing. People give them money or sweets.

Christmas Trees are popular in Greece. But an older and more traditional decoration is wooden ships with lights on them.

The kallikantzaroi are some bad spirits that are meant to appear only during the 12-day period from Christmas to Epiphany (January 6th). They are supposed to come from the middle of the earth and get into people's house through the chimney! The kallikantzaroi do things like putting out fires and making milk go off.

The main Christmas meal is often lamb or pork. Other Christmas and New Year foods include Diples (a kind of fried pastry), melomakarono, kourampiedes or sometimes baklava and kataifi.

In Greece, presents are often brought to children by Aghios Vassilis (Saint Basil) on the 1st of January.

People in Greece also celebrate Epiphany on the 6th January. In the Greek Orthodox Church, Epiphany celebrates the baptism of Jesus when he was a man. It's also known as 'The Blessing of the Waters'. There are many events throughout the country where young men dive into really cold lakes, rivers and the sea to try to be first to get a cross which has been blessed by a priest and thrown into the water. Whoever gets the cross first is meant to have good luck during the coming year.

New Year's Pie (vasilopita) 16

“You must give everything to make

your life as beautiful as the dreams that dance in your imagination.” ― Roman Payne

My body has certainly wandered a good deal, but I have an uneasy suspicion that my mind has not wandered enough.

- Noel Coward Christmas tree, street decoration, Greece 17

Easter in Slovakia Slovak folk customs and traditions: Easter eggs and buckets of cold water “Easter is the most important time of the year for

the Christians. This time comprises Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. Christians are celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter is popular in the world because of egg hunts, special Easter food or Easter decorations. Symbols of Easter are an egg, ham and Easter bunny. However, in Slovakia, we have also our own traditions. These traditions are popular especially in villages. Young fellows visit every household with single maidens to sprinkle them with water and whip them with unique willow whips. People believe that the girls will then be tbeautiful and healthy for the rest of the year. The girls have to “pay” by offering food, eggs and ribbons which are tied on to the willow whips.”

Sofia Kotrasová, Slovakia “The Slovak traditions are different from the rest of the world. I think our traditions are more

unique. Most of the girls, however, do not like them, because they involve a lot of water. Usually men toss water from a full bucket while they whip them with a willow whip. Sometimes they even throw them into a creek. Water is supposed to make girls look better and whipping should make them healthier. Every Easter young men go from house to house doing this. Some girls try to hide inside their houses. The girls give them sweets for the whipping!”

Nikola Ratkovská, Slovakia “Easter begins on Green Thursday. It is the time when Jesus was captured by soldiers in the

Gethsemane garden. In the evening we go to church. On Good Friday we can eat just three times and without meat. We go to Calvary and then to church. On White Saturday we should be silent.

In the evening we go to church and it is the time when Jesus rose from the dead. Easter Sunday is the biggest holiday of the year. There is holy mass in the morning and later we are with our families. That is my Easter.”

Pavol Hradský, Slovakia “The Easter traditions in Slovakia are not like anywhere else in the world. They are very unfair to

girls. Men go from house to house, they whip us and throw water from a full bucket at us girls. All women hate this tradition. We usually hide somewhere. When boys come, we do not open doors.

After everything they do to us, they expect us to give them sweets. All this happens on Monday.

On Tuesday we girls take revenge. We can do the same things to boys.”

Andrea Holíková, Slovakia

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GREEK EASTER Easter preparations begin on Holy Thursday when the traditional Easter bread, tsoureki, is baked, and eggs are dyed red (red is the color as a representation of the blood of Christ).

The holiest day of Holy Week is Holy Friday. It is a day of mourning, not of work (including cooking!.

On the morning of Holy Saturday, preparations begin for the next day’s Easter feast. Dishes that can be prepared in advance are made, and the traditional soup (mayiritsa)-which uses the organs and intestines of the lamb that will be roasted-is prepared, which will be eaten after the midnight service.

There are also special candles made for Easter that are called labatha and are often given as gifts to children from their godparents.

These candles are usually white but people can decorate them the way that they like.

Easter eggs

Traditional Easter Wishes Once the Priest has called out "Christos Anesti" friends and neighbors exchange the same, saying "Christos Anesti" and, in response, "Alithos Anesti", "truly, He is risen," or "Alithos o Kyrios", "true is the Lord."

Once home, everyone gathers around the table for a traditional meal, which includes the mayiritsa soup, tsoureki (sweet bread), and the red eggs. But before the eggs are eaten, there's a traditional challenge: tsougrisma. Holding your egg, you tap the end against the end of your opponent's egg, trying to crack it. It's a game enjoyed by children and adults alike. Eggs are often made in very large quantities since the game continues the next day with more friends and family.

The main focus on Sunday is the traditional Greek Easter foods. The customary main attraction of the day is whole roasted lamb or goat (kid) to represent the Lamb of God; there are also served Greek olives and tzatziki (yogurt dip), patates fournou (potatoes roasted with citrus and oregano) and spanakotyropita (spinach and cheese pie). Great Greek wines, ouzo and other drinks flow freely and preparations for the meal turn into festive celebrations even before the eating begins.

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I Liceum Ogólnokształcące w Wejherowie King Jan III Sobieski Upper Secondary School No.1 in Wejherowo ADDRESS: ul. Bukowa 1,

This is the picture of our school drama group and the view of a hall where all school’s important events take place.

84-200 Wejherowo, Poland PHONE NO.: 48 058 672 24 58 E-MAIL: sekretariat@liceum1.pl WEBSITE: www.liceum1.pl Upper Secondary School No.1 in Wejherowo was established in 1857. It has a long history. Let’s focus on present times.

Right now it is a three-year upper secondary school. Students are aged 16 to 19; there are about 600 students and 50 teachers in our school. Classes have different profiles: humanities, law, economics and medicine. Every student studies two foreign languages: English, German or French. Our school’s year starts on 1 September and finishes on 23 June and is divided into two terms. There is also a two-week winter break in January.

There is a lot of technology in our school. We have interactive whiteboards, tablets and access to digital textbooks.

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Our school boasts a drama group, a choir and a music band. There are a variety of recreational and sports facilities as well as a venue for artistic performances, workshops and conferences in the school grounds.

Below you can see the sports facilities. We spend most of our PE lessons there.

A town of Wejherowo Wejherowo is a historic town with ca.50,000 inhabitants, located in Pomeralia. Surrounded by forests, it has many interesting places to see and it is also close to Gdynia, Sopot and Gdansk and the Baltic.

Not long ago young citizens of our town realized the resemblance of the monument of Jakub Wejher, the founder of the town, to Lord Vader. It was in winter time.

Due to this fact on 15 December this year, town authorities decided to hold the first Star Wars fans gathering here. We’ll see this event soon.

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The founder of our town The origins of Wejherowo are very interesting. The rise of the town was indirectly related to the expedition of King Wladyslaw IV at Smolensk War at Biala (village) in 1634, where the future founder of Wejherowo took part. During the siege, Jacob Wejher was buried with rubble as a result of the outbreak. He nearly died there but dying he made vows that if he came out of this oppression he would build a church in honor of the Holy Trinity and set up a monastery.

Nine years later, in 1643, this oath became the foundation of a settlement, which on January 13, 1650 received the municipal privilege granted by the Polish king Wladyslaw IV. The town of Wejherowo founded as "Wejher's Freedom" was the only private city in Kaszuby.

Wejherowo is also well known by its calvary, consisting of 26 chapels, aligned along the border of the town forest, which were built during 1646–55. It was also founded by Jacob Wejher and is referred to as the spiritual capital of Kashubia, which has been visited by numerous pilgrims from the entire area throughout the centuries. Nowadays, the Wejherowo Calvary is mostly used for religious purposes as well as PE lessons. Numerous of steps, ups and downs, are ‘perfect’ for running according to our teacher, so practically we spend there a lot of our PE lessons.

Together with the urban development of Wejherowo and the palace of Przebendowski family and park complex, it creates a must-see tourists attraction with large landscape and landscape values.

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What does eating mean today?

by Aleksandra Litwin For many people eating is just a duty needed to stay alive. Others consider it to be the best experience in our life. It can be also only a dream for lots of humans. Do we really appreciate the possibility of doing such an amazing thing as eating?

I think Europe, North America and different territories economically developed take eating for granted. It’s normal that there is always something to fill the stomach. We don’t contemplate if we will get some food we want – it is just available in local shop.

What is more, we don’t have time to eat. We’re always run out of time. We eat just to quieten the stomach, to do it as quickly as possible and we go further to our work. It takes maybe 5-10 minutes. Do we even know what we eat then? Also we don’t feel the taste or smell. Our food disappear from our plates in a split second. But is it all about it? After all, eating is one of the most beautiful, enjoyable, pleasant actions that we do. And we actually love to destruct this moment. At the same time, we are withdrawn from this delight by ourselves. And there is so many awesome tastes that deserve to pay them more than 5 minutes attention.

According to this, we want to encourage you to try new tastes from our region in Poland – Kaszuby. One of the delicacies is roast duck. Every family has different recipe, it depends on tradition in each of them. It’s usually served on great occasions like Christmas or Easter.

Very popular are dishes with herring. They are made in various ways. Some people just marinate it and give with onion and oil. Many do herring herbs with mustard, onion and pickled cucumber. Another option is marinated herring with cinnamon and raisins. It’s also known to fry herring and then put it into vinegar and onion. People from Kaszuby like eating pork jelly, which is called “zylc”. Traditional trade is cultivation of strawberries. They are considered to be the best in Poland.

So, take your time, relax and eat ;)

“Airplane travel is nature's way of

making you look like your passport photo.”

- Al Gore 23

STRONGHOLDS AND CASTLES On the following pages the European Wanderers are taking you, readers, on a journey throughout the centuries via visits to defence structures as they developed from the 9th century Great Moravian fortress to the German’s Headquarters in Mazurian Forests.

Our visit and cooperation with The Little Carpathian Wine Region Museum (“Malokarpatské Múzeum”), in Pezinok, Slovakia Last year the Slovak European Wanderers visited a little town Svätý Jur, its church, dedicated to Saint Geeorge, the castle ruins of Biely Kameň „White Stone“ and a large hill fort, Neštich. A few collages were the result of one amazing y sunny shooting day there. One of them you can see below.

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Svätý Jur

by Lukáš and Samuel Bohumel, Slovakia Svätý Jur is a small town near Bratislava with a population of about 5 000 people, situated in the Pezinok District. Svätý Jur is surrounded by large vineyards. The production of wine has brought fame to this village. Here you can visit a lot of historical sites, for example a Great Moravian castle that was built in the 9th century or the Gothic church of St. George from the 13th century.

Here you can also find the castle Biely Kameň (White Stone), which was mentioned for the first time in the year 12l7. The castle was partially destroyed in 1663 in an Ottoman raid, but its ruins are still visible. In the year 1838 the first equine-powered railway in the Kingdom of Hungary was built here.

Our Trip to Svätý Jur, 9th May, 2017

by Matej Lanča, Slovakia On May 9th, during one amazing sunny day, our European Wanderer group went on another trip to a small beautiful town 5km distant from Bratislava, Svätý Jur. We walked into the town centre, and continued to the church, where we shot a videoreportage about the history and some interesting facts concerning the church. Our next stop were the ruins of the Biely Kamen castle, where we also worked on a short video report with gathered information. We had lots of fun, especially while shooting the videos. This trip was very informative, full of fun and we have great memories to keep. Our EW group really enjoyed the time spentvisiting these interesting places, and we are already looking forward to our next trip of which we will also provide some feedback.

To learn more about this amazing place named after Saint George, we prepared our next thematic excursion to the Little Carpathian Museum in Pezinok. Here we visited an interesting exhibition on the long history of winemaking in this region, which was totally awesome. The next part of our trip was a lecture about the 9th century castle called Neštich at Svätý Jur by the archaeologist, Mr. Július Vavák. How did our Slovak Wanderers like the trip?

Read on …

Rebeka and all the wanderers especially enjoyed the interactive exhibition on the history of the wine production in this region. Photo by Martin Horný.

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“On

Wednesday, we had a great trip to Malokarpatské múzeum in the nearby town Pezinok. The museum was very interesting and we did enjoy it. The museum guide was so nice and she told us lots of interesting facts. During the guided tour, we learned about the history of the town Pezinok and the whole region of Malé Karpaty. After the tour, we had a discussion with Mr Vavák, the Slovak archaeologist and expert on Svätý Jur hillfort. We really appreciate that Mr Vavák was so kind to explain everything to us. The last point of our trip was the presentation of pictures / illustrations made by Salvador Dali. We really enjoyed our trip to the museum and we had such a great time.”

Matej Lanča

“The next part of our programme was a discussion with Mr Vavák. He is a famous archaeologist

and he knows all about the old ruins of the hillfort in Sv. Jur. He had prepared a beautiful and interesting presentation with photos for us. He told us about the hillfort ̕ s history and about some fieldworks he is doing with the team of his colleagues. Mr Vavák is an interesting man who is passionate about palaeontology, history and nature.”

Rebeka Magdaléna Bačová “We had such a great time on Wednesday. In the museum, we saw so many old and rare things

from the life of a wine grower. All the old equipment, barrels and bottles – we could feel the history of the objects. After that, we had an interview with the Slovak archaeologist Mr Vavák. He told us so many interesting facts about the castles and ruins. We really appreciate it. All the interesting facts he told us, will suit our magazine – European Wanderer. At the end of our trip to Pezinok we looked at the work of the famous painter Salvador Dali.”

Martin Horný

“Me, my class Kvarta and classes Tercia and Sexta attended the excursion to the Malokarpatské múzeum in Pezinok. Although I could write about the exhibitions related to the history and development of the viticulture typical for this region or the atmosphere of the wine cellar, located under the museum, the main reason for this trip was an interview with the archaeologist PhDr. Július Vavák.”

Roland Prno 26

The museum of viticulture was a huge success with our students.

Part of the interview with Mr. Július Vavák translated by Daniel Boris, Slovakia Read the full interview, translated by Samuel Taufer, in the Slovak Spectator Mr. Vavák, what, in your opinion, are the most valuable finds from Svätý Jur? Where can they be seen and what will happen to them?

There are situations when you can say to yourself that you have a great find. There are more of those from this hillfort. However, for finds like these, we had to wait a few years. I will mention a deposit containing jewelry (earrings, a button pendant, a ring), a knife, a spear and a vessel. Very interesting was the discovery of a quadratic structure on stone foundations from the Great Moravian period, which does not have too many analogies. However, the last valuable discovery is the most important for an archeologist. And that is one really interesting coin. We have more coins from the hillfort, Roman, one is Celtic and more from the 17th century. But this one is very special, paradoxically, it is not complete and it is worn out. We are talking about a dirham from the Abbasid Caliphate – from the Arabic empire. The coin is from the year 867. It was minted in the era of the rule of caliph al Mutazz. It is the first Arabic coin found in the territory of Great Moravia.

The proof of metal processing has been found near the coin. You can read about these and other finds in articles and from time to time you can see them at exhibitions.

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But some, as the mentioned coin, I keep secret… mainly as protection against the robbers with

metal detectors.

What is the position of the Svätý Jur hillfort within the Bratislava Gate – in comparison with other hillforts from the same period?

The position of the hillfort is a really interesting question, the answer is still being looked for, we have an idea, but that does not mean that it is inalterable. In the time of the assumed origin in the 8th century its primary role was military – strategic. We cannot exclude that the creators of the hillfort were the Slavs congenial to the Avar Khaganate. In the past scientists did not consider this origin, because they did not have the latest finds. The hillfort from the viewpoint of finds from the 9th and 10th century was considered to have been an important military fortress and a refuge for the local people, which is still true today. Because of our latest finds we know that it was an important production centre and an intensively populated place. Castles in Bratislava and Devin were border fortresses. About Devin we know, that the Great Moravian ruler – Rastislav had a residence at this hillfort. In a Frankish source we find the term “castle Dovina” (in translation). It guarded the entrance through the ford of Danube and Moravia and the crossroads of trade roads together with at least three other lesser fortifications at the foot of “Devinska Kobyla”.

Mr. Július Vavák explaining the remains of an interesting 9th century building at the lecture.

Photo by Martin Horný.

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It may have belonged to the Moravian part of the empire. Bratislava, which we know in translation as “Castle Preslava” was a very important place as one of the most significant castles in “Nitriansko” (= Nitra principality). It is possible that our castle in Svätý Jur, whose period name we do not know, was situated at the border of the two principalities – Nitra and Moravia, together with two lesser hillforts on the other side of the Little Carpathians – in “Borinka”. I believe that the hillfort in Svätý Jur supplied the castles in Devin and Bratislava with its products, and at the same time it offered military support from the rear and served as an eventual haven. The hillfort in Svätý Jur may have been, after “Preslava” and “Dovina”, the most significant castle in the area, each castle was important in a different way.

Less significant castles, probably only military - guards and refuges were the beforehand-mentioned fortifications in “Borinka”, “Modra” and at the foot of “Devinska Kobyla”.

The massive walls of the ancient stronghold in Svätý Jur are covered in soil and vegetation.

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Pictures on pages 24-25, the Forteza, Rethymno, Crete.

Castles on the island of Crete, Greece On behalf of the Greek eTwinning team

The Fortezza The Fortezza is the fortress of the city of Rethymno in Crete, Greece.

Built on the Paleokastro hill, where the ancient acropolis of the city was situated, it became a fortified settlement during Byzantine time.

The fortification was finalized by the Venetians in the 16th century.

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By the end of the 16th century Crete had become the largest remaining Venetian overseas possession. This is why new fortifications needed to be built for the protection of the city and its harbour. When the Ottomans besieged the city of Rethymno in 1646, many inhabitants sought refuge inside the Fortezza.

Left: Church in Fortezza.

Down: Mosque in Fortezza

“Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.�

- Benjamin Disraeli

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At the beginning of the 20th century many residencies were located in the Fortezza. After the end of the Second World War some fortifications as well as houses around the Fortezza were torn down. Following a large-scale restoration the Fortezza is now open to public and it is managed by the Greek Ministry of Culture.

In the Fortezza one can find various types of buildings such as the Mosque of Sultan Ibrahim, the House of the Rector (the residence of the Governor of Rethymno), the Council Building and two orthodox churches, St. Theodore and St. Catherine as well as the Erofili open theatre in which many music and theatre performances take place in the summer.

Frangokastello Frangokastello is both the name of a castle and a scattered settlement as well as an extended sandy beach in the area of Sfakia, in southern Crete. The castle was built by the Venetians in the 14th century to impose order to the Sfakia region, to keep pirates away and protect the Venetian nobles and their properties. The Venetians named it after the nearby church of St. Nikitas, however the locals called it Frangokastello, meaning the castle of the Franks, i.d. Catholic foreigners, in a rather negative way.

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The architecture of the castle is influenced both by the Venetian and the Ottoman occupation of Crete. The castle is rectangular, with a tower at each corner and some remains of the Venetian coat of arms in the main gate. The buildings inside the walls were added later during the Turkish occupation.

The main reason Frangokastello is known for is because it is connected with a local folk tradition that goes back to a celebrated battle on May, 17 of 1828. Many warriors from Sfakia and the region of Epirus led by Hatzimichalis Dalianis were besieged and massacred by the Turkish during their attempt to spread the Greek War of Independence from mainland Greece to Crete. According to the local tradition shadows of the soldiers who were massacred in the castle appear to march around the fortress at dawn around the anniversary of the battle each May. They are called Drosoulites (dew -men) and their appearance is due to a meteorological phenomenon according to some scientists.

Frangokastello and the sea of Frangokastello

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Castles in Slovakia

by Viktória Valentová Orava Castle It is considered to be one of the most beautiful castles in Slovakia. It is located on a high rock above the Orava river in the village of Oravský Podzámok. The castle was built in the Kingdom of Hungary in the thirteenth century. The original design was in Romanesque and Gothic styles. The castle contains a painting gallery, the armoury, and the scientific, ethnographic and archaeological collections.

Strečno Castle The Strečno Castle is a reconstructed ruin of a medieval castle, located in northern Slovakia (12 km from Žilina).

The castle stands on a 103-metre-high calcite cliff above the international road and village Strečno. The first recorded mention of the stone castle is from 1316. Parts of the castle are also the castle chapel, the main tower, the northern palace and the cistern. Today the castle belongs to the national cultural heritage of the Slovak Republic.

Trenčín Castle You can find it above the town of Trenčín in western Slovakia. The oldest building of the castle is a stone rotunda, founded in the Great Moravian period. There is a water well which is connected to the legend of the Turkish prince Omar and his great love- Fatima. On a rock below the castle, there is an inscription from the period of the Roman Empire. The castle is protected as a National Cultural Monument of Slovakia.

The Spiš Castle

by Matej Lanča

The Spiš Castle, the largest castle in central Europe by area, is situated in eastern Slovakia above the town Spišské Podhradie and the village of Žehra in the region known as Spiš. However, nowadays, only the ruins have remained from the original construction. The castle was included in the UNESCO list in 1993.

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Photo above: The castle Trenčín. The two historical pictures in this page show the Romanesque upper castle, Spiš, during its reconstruction in the 80s of the 20th century.

Historically, the castle was built in the 12th century. It was the political, administrative, economic and cultural centre of the Szepes County of the Kingdom of Hungary. Before 1464, it was owned by the kings of Hungary, afterwards (until 1528) by the Zápolya family, the Thurzó family and the Csáky family. Originally a Romanesque stone castle with fortifications, a twostorey Romanesque palace and a three-nave Romanesque-Gothic basilica were constructed by the 13th century. The castle was completely rebuilt in the 15th century. The Zápolya clan performed late Gothic transformations, which changed the upper castle into a comfortable family residence. In the year 1780 a big blaze broke out in the castle. The last owners, the Csáky family, abandoned the castle in the early 18th century because they considered it too uncomfortable to live in.

Are you interested ?

Now the castle is one of the biggest attractions in Slovakia for foreign tourists. In the year 2015 more than 190.000 tourists visited the castle. If you want to know about the history of Slovakia and the history of this castle do not hesitate to visit it!

In Slovakia you can find more than 300 castles (many of them are ruins).

These historical monuments used to be seats of lords, kings and aristocrats.

Resources : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spi%C5%A1_Castle http://www.slovakia.com/castles/spis-casle/ 35

Three Slovak castles were among the largest in all of Europe: Devín, Spiš and Trenčín.

Neuschwanstein

by Rebeka Bačová, Slovakia This summer I took a trip to south-eastern Germany - Bavaria. My plan was to visit all of the castles, which were built by the king Ludwig the Second of Bavaria. He was also known as 'the fairy tale king', because he was a shy day dreamer and didn't want to be with other people. He was taking walks in the mountains (Bavarian Alps) as often as possible. But the main reason of his nickname was that he was building wonderful rich castles and he had a dream to build the most beautiful castle in the world.

If you believe it or not, he did it. Above the small village Schwangau in the middle of the mountains, surrounded by big glacial lakes, is the Hohenschwangau castle, where he grew up.

Ludwig was living in a happy family, with parents Queen Mary and king Maximilian and two younger brothers. He was always meant to become the next king. From the window of his room he could see a big rock in the woods. His dream soon became to build that one most beautiful castle right there.

When he grew up into a king of Bavaria, he first built the Linderhof castle, but then he made his dreams come true. Neuschwanstein in German literally means "the new swan's rock", because the swan was his favourite animal. Now there are many glass statues of swans inside.

When I arrived below the castle, I had to buy the tickets in Schwangau. I was standing in a line for more than 60 minutes - there come thousands of visitors from all around the world every day! When I had finally bought the ticket, I couldn't go straight to the castle. That was because everyone would do it and then it would be too chaotic. So we all got a specific time of entrance, which was every 5 minutes. Even though we (me and other people in our group) had bought the tickets at 11 am, our entrance was at 3:35 pm. We spent the time sightseeing in a village and visiting the Hohenschwangau castle. We also took a walk to the lake Alpsee, bought some souvenirs and had Späzle, traditional German food, for lunch.

And then our time finally came and we could go inside the castle. We got audio guides and started the tour. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures. Anyway, it was really amazing and breathtaking! I felt like my eyes were blinded by such beauty, gold, diamonds... Most of the castle was a huge kitsch, but somehow I liked it so much. We saw a lot of rooms and bedrooms, a throne hall, ballroom hall, mirror hall with a lot of crystal chandeliers... In this castle I also saw the most magical stairway ever. I was like a huge palm tree, which has its leaves in a sky full of gold stars.

I can't help it, I'm still wondering, how people in 19th century could build such a castle. If you still can't imagine the beauty, I can tell you, that Walt Disney was inspired by it, so if you know what Cinderella's castle looks like, Neuschwanstein is the original!

And if you are not sure if you want to visit it, look at this picture I took from the Marienbrücke (Queen Marie's bridge), which you can find between 2 rocks in the forest behind the castle. Hope you will enjoy it!

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CASTLES IN HUNGARY by the Hungarian Wanderers

Buda Castle Buda Castle is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest, and was first completed in 1265.

Buda Castle was built on the southern tip of Castle Hill, bounded on the north by what is known as the Castle District (Várnegyed), which is famous for its Medieval, Baroque, and 19thcentury houses, churches, and public buildings.

The first royal residence on the Castle Hill was built by King Béla IV of Hungary between 1247 and 1265.

The oldest part of the present-day palace was built in the 14th century by Stephen, Duke of Slavonia, who was the younger brother of King Louis I of Hungary. Only the foundations remain of the castle keep, which was known as Stephen’s Tower.

Over the centuries, Buda Castle has undergone various stages of reconstruction, renovation and rebuild. The most recent being when heavy fighting and artillery fire rendered the palace into ruins during WW2. All the furniture vanished, roofs and vaults collapsed, and the southern and western wings were burned out.

Castle of Eger The Castle of Eger is most famously known for repelling the Turkish attack in 1552 during the Siege of Eger.

During the Mongol invasion in 1241, this castle was ruined, and the bishop of Eger moved it to a rocky hill in the city of Eger. On the hill, a new castle was built, and it developed rapidly.

In 1552, a Turkish army of 35,000-40,000 soldiers attacked the castle which had 2,1002,300 defenders. The siege failed as the Turks suffered heavy casualties. A total of 1,700 of the defenders survived. After that the Turks besieged the castle again in 1596, resulting in a Turkish victory. http://www.heritagedaily.com/2016/05/10-historic-hungarian-castles/111520 37

Our Trip To the Germans’ Headquarters in the Mazurian Forests. by the Polish Wanderers

Saint Augustine said that a world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. That is why, all the European Wanderers love travelling and experiencing the places for themselves. Our destination this year was the Wolf’s Lair, a memorable and historic place where Hitler's Headquarters stretched over 250 hectares, consisting of shelters, barracks, two airports, a power station, a railway station, water supplies and heat-generating plants all masked in the forest not visible from spy planes.

We set off early in the morning on April 21st.

Everybody was a bit excited and thrilled to take part in this journey. The day before we had watched a film on YouTube, so we were aware of the present state of the headquarters. The weather was a bit chilly but it couldn’t prevent us from walking around the ruins hidden in the very heart of the Mazurian forests.

We arrived at Kętrzyn at 11 o’clock; however, we still had some time to visit the Wolf’s Lair. We started our journey back in time in Mamerki, which is a museum in WW2 shelters of the Command and Communication Centre. The place made us feel as we were transferred back in time. The most important orders for the Wehrmacht armies passed through this place. It is here, where the conspiracy against Hitler started, when the Nazis began to lose the war.

“You know

more of a road by having traveled it than by all the conjectures and descriptions in the world.”

- William Hazlitt 38

During our short stay at Mamerki we could visit the shelters, see the reconstruction of a U-boot

submarine and learn about the secret weapons of the Third Reich. Did you know that according to some researchers the Bell was supposed to be the prototype of the machine for controlling the magnetic field and gravitation enabling a journey in time?! Yet, what I liked the most was a flying vehicle in the shape of a disc. It looked like a flying saucer! Unfortunately, we couldn’t walk along the 30 m underground tunnel connecting two shelters as it was flooded due to rains. From the top of the highest tower in the region, which is 36 meters high, we could admire the view on Mamry Lake and the surroundings.

The Wolf’s Lair, the next point of our trip, welcomed us with the overwhelming view of the ruins.

Our guide introduced us to the story of this place making it an unforgettable and a bit creepy experience. If it hadn’t been for the guide, the trip wouldn’t have awakened so many emotions and feelings. It was an incredible journey back in time, starting with details considering the location, masking and finally the story of count Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg’s assassination attempt, which took place on 20th July 1944.

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Wandering through the woods we saw buildings and bunkers destroyed by German forces retreating to Berlin. Most buildings constructed here had flat roofs 10 to 30 cm thick. Imagine a 6.5 km2 complex in the middle of the forests with flat bunkers with roofs covered with earth and bushes, grass and artificial trees.

There were also masking grids stretched between the buildings and trees making them invisible for aerial photographs.

“Travel is fatal to bigotry, prejudice, and narrowmindedness.� - Mark Twain

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Approaching bunker no. 13 we learned about Hitler’s daily routine and how it changed after the assassination attempt. Nowadays the area of the bunker hosts the bats habitat.

There are a number of wooden houses in the trees where they go into a deep sleep called hibernation to save energy. It happens in winter, when there are fewer insects around for them to feed on. They chose this place as it is humid and dark and full of insects, which were a nightmare to the inhabitants of the Wolf’s Lair. We also saw the building where the assassination bomb exploded. We could also visit many other ruins such as Goering's house and guest quarters.

If you happen to be in Poland and as long as you are interested in WW2 history, and in particular in the assassination attempt on Hitler that took place here you should definitely visit this site. You won’t be disappointed. I also suggest seeing the film "Valkyrie” starring Tom Cruise or the documentary "Operation Valkyrie" before visiting to get a quick glimpse of the story.

Text by Szymon Reinke the photos for this article were taken by Barbara Dziubich, Poland.

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Favourite Places

The High Tatras, Slovakia “The High Tatras belong to the

most beautiful places in the world in my opinion. Every time I can take a look at this view I feel so free. However the only place where I can feel truly safe is my bedroom, where nobody can “hurt” me.”

by Petra Puškášová, Slovakia “My favourite places

are mountain chalets in the High Tatras. There are always a lot of animals, amazing flora and great views. If it is not, you could always drink Kofola or a cup of tea with your friends after a long exhausting walk.”

by Kristína Kožíková, Slovakia

“Also known as Danzig, Gdansk is the largest city in northern Poland and its main seaport since it lies on the Baltic Sea. The city is home to St. Mary church, the largest brick church in the world. That beautiful city combines interesting history and a lot of various entertainment. “

by Kamila Gorlikowska, Poland :) „The place which I like the most is Energa Gdansk Stadium called also Amber Arena. For me it is the most beautiful football stadium in the world. When I was younger I always dreamt about watching a match live there. At this stadium the players from Lechia Gdansk team play matches every week. I've been to this stadium twice so far and it made an amazing impression on me. I hope to go there more often as it is an unforgettable experience for me.“

Szymon ;) Poland

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“This is the view from the remains of a beau-

tiful castle near Zvolen. Its name is Pusty hrad (abandoned castle). I was there with my family while we were travelling to our grandma for holiday. The weather was perfect, and we could smell the fragrance aroma of the forest and enjoy the view of Tatras. We also took our dog and she absolutely loved it.“ “This is river-mill is close to Jelka. The Little Danube river flows there.

There are so many activities you can do there. Like playing some games, for example football, volleyball, badminton… also there is quite a good restaurant. Fish like carp, salmon are sold here and the flow of Danube is so shallow that you can walk across it to the middle and back.”

by Ester Illéšová, Slovakia By the Hungarian Wanderers: Dani: “Lake Balaton is my favourite place because eve-

ry summer me and my family take our holiday there.”

Levi: “This is MOM park. It

is the place we go to almost every day after school. We usually have lunch here, most of the time at McDonald's. Then we hang out in the park next to the building. It is one of my favourite places to be.”

Máté: “My favourite place is Móricz Zsigmond Körtér. The reason is, I love eating

food there with my friends. And what's so good about eating food over there?

Well, the variety of the food is great, but since it's a circus it's easy for me to go home (or go somewhere else with my friends) after I finished my food.”

“I do not have favourite place, but the world is so full of beautiful places that I

cannot choose one. I have visited a lot of places so I can tell you my top 5. So, let's start from the end. The fifth is St. Andrews in England. I was there only for one day, but it took a place in my heart. The next piece of my heart is in Venice. Everyone knows Venice, and I had thought before that it was not as pretty as everyone claimed. And I was completely wrong, I could stay there for months and I wld not get enough. The third piece is in the Austrian Alps, where I was with my family on holiday for a week last summer. Mountains are so powerful and beautiful at the same time that the only thing you could do is to admire them. And the first place in my heart belongs to the Slovak Paradise. The most time of my life I have spent there, because we have a cottage there. I go there every single year. Just for the breathtaking landscape, pleasurable relaxation and unforgettable peace in your mind.

Hope that everybody has places like these.“

by Sára Solmošiová, Slovakia 43

Our Erasmus trip to Spain

by Mariangela Thanou and Thaleia Kalogeropoulou During the years 2016-2018 our school, 4th High school of Zografou is participating in an Erasmus+ program entitled “Ready, Steady, Work!” as a partner school. Except from Greece, other countries such as Spain, Poland, Luxembourg and Croatia (co-ordinating school) are also participating in this project. The purpose of this program is to help students to enhance some of the abilities which will help them in the future to get a job.

The trip to Spain, Cartagena, was extremely fascinating. We were hosted by some kids who were in the Spanish Erasmus team.

Cartagena is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, in south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital city.

Every day we went to school, IES Los Molinos, a general secondary school, in order to do some workshops with the other kids of the Erasmus+ program. Each country was represented by a group of 4-6 students. These workshops were activities in which we had to cooperate with each other. The purpose of these activities was to learn how to work as a team, listen to each other, express our opinion without hesitating.

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After these workshops we visited:

• the city center • the Aqua Museum: amphorae, lead ingots, anchors... even a life-size model of a Roman merchant ship. This is just a part of the collection on display in this museum dedicated to the exhibition of objects found in underwater archaeological excavations. The visit offers a journey through the history of maritime activities, trading and transportation, with particular emphasis on the Phoenician and Roman times. There is also an outstanding collection of seven scale models of ancient ships, and even an exact replica of a galley ship.

• the Roman theater: this theatre was built between 5 and 1 B.C. and it was dedicated to the successors of Augustus, Gaius and Lucius Caesar.

•the Murcia town hall: The Murcia Town Hall raises in the Cardinal Belluga Square, a baroque square where the protagonist are the façade of the Cathedral designed by Jaime Bort and Cardinal Belluga Palace, the work of the architect Canestro. . •the cathedral in Murcia: Murcia Cathedral, which is actually called the Cathedral of St. Mary, is located in the historical centre of Murcia, on la Plaza del Cardenal Belluga. Construction began in 1394 and was finished in 1465; however they continued to refurbish it and add other important parts such as the Bell Tower and the Vélez Chapel. In fact, it's hard to actually imagine the cathedral without its iconic tower; you can see it from all over Murcia and it has become the symbol of our city. It's principally of Gothic style, however due to additions that were later built, it also contains renaissance, neoclassic, and baroque features.

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We also had walks and dinner with our host families. The Spanish people were very friendly and hospitable. We passed the last two days in Madrid. In Madrid we caught a tour bus and we explored the beautiful city. So many of Madrid’s buildings look like castles, you’ll think you’ve stumbled into a fairytale.

Our trip was a unique experience. Since we'd never travelled abroad and lived with kids we hadn't met before, that was what excited us the most. We got very comfortable with each other, shared our interests, talked about things that concerned us without being shy to tell to each other. We got used to the routine of Spanish people immediately. The school activities were very interesting, too. We learned how to work as a team and respect each other. Moreover, we are glad for having the opportunity to get to know kids from other countries because we got very close with them. They were very friendly and we had a great time whenever we went out altogether. We became good friends with lots of them and we are keeping in touch through social media. We even want to meet again sometime in the future!

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Furthermore, the fact that we travelled abroad was a unique experience by itself.

We learned about the differences between the two civilizations, the Spanish dishes, the history of Spain and the way Spanish people spend their days. That's why from now on we will be the first to join this kind of programs!

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Our school theatre play

by Marina Volakou, Greece Over the last five years our school had theatrical plays performed. This year our school presented ''The yard of Miracles''

by Iakovos Kampanellis.

Greece 1957. In a public yard of Vyronas, the heroes share their lives together forming a miniature of the Greek society of yesterday very similar to this of today. In this courtyard, their expectations, their anxieties, their confessions and their dreams meet and interweave everyday. There, they build hopes for their future, which will bring something better to them until they are finally thrown away together with their yard, which has no place in the ''new world''.

The characters of this play are: the old-man Jordan with his wife Aspa and their son John, a family of refugees from Asia Minor, Mrs Anneto, who is a widow with a daughter married in England, Stelios, who is a dreamer with many weaknesses and his wife Olga, who is half Greek and half Russian, Voula and Babis, a married couple who always alternate their sweet moments with their very bad fights, Maria whose husband is a stoker and her loneliness tortures her and Stella, a single young girl who doesn't know what loneliness means. Stratos, a plumber, will be added to the above tenants and he will bring many changes to this small courtyard.

We had been working for this play for about 7 months. It was really hard and oppressive since we had to do the same thing again and again until we had done it right. However we always had a great time and the company of each other was really enjoyable and encouraging. Thanks to our teachers 16 children of different ages and behaviours were brought closer. Before that we did not know each other and the only thing that we had in common was our love for theater.

Our last performance was really emotional. Every kid did his best. When the final curtain went down mixed emotions like happiness, enthusiasm but also sadness overwhelmed us. All these beautiful moments had come to an end and it was really difficult for us to accept it.

It is really amazing how the art of theater can change your attitude towards life. Over those last months we realised how important it was to cooperate with each other. Teamwork helped us to know each other better and eventually to be more confident and have excellent results. It was a great life experience.

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Martha Mendosa in Bratislava

by Sára Solmošiová, Slovakia

On 5th April I attended a lecture called "The Modern Day Slavery", with my three friends and a teacher. I had no idea what I could expect from that, but it impressed me so much.

The lecture was given by an American journalist, Martha Mendosa, who has been awarded the Pultizer Prize for her investigation. The main theme was her project about saving people from slavery. I really admire what she has done for all those poor people in Thailand. She has saved a lot of lives but the project is not over yet.

The things she was talking about opened my eyes. For long I will keep that in my mind. For instance, do you know that 21 million people live in slavery? And a quarter are children and the main part are women and girls?!

How is this possible? How could someone allow that?

Below and the previous page: photos from the school play.

Photos from the lecture of the American journalist Martha Mendosa at the Comenius University, Bratislava 49

SASHEGYI ARANY JÁNOS PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL Our school in Budapest on Eagle-hill next to a conservation area. You can see every bit of the city from the hill point.

The school has a primary and a secondary school. Primary is from first grade to eighth and secondary is from ninth to thirteenth. In secondary there are three special classes: language preparatory, science and humanities.

We go to language preparatory class. We study fifteen hours of English a week and beside this we choose to study German or French three times a week.

The teachers are kind unless you make them mad. The building is quite old and the PE building is small. The classrooms have plenty of space, big windows and a blackboard. Luckily we always get the chance to decorate our classroom as we fancy it. Now it has Christmas decorations and we have a Christmas tree. We also have a class pet hamster called Fatty.

The class community is very good. We always meet up after school and do different activities together.

“A person does not grow from the ground like a vine or a tree, one is not part of a plot of land.

Mankind has legs so it can wander.” ― Roman Payne, The Wanderess “You don't even know where I'm going."

"I don't care. I'd like to go anywhere.” ― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

“and we laugh and laugh and

all I know is at this moment I feel like I can do anything I want and be anyone I want and go anywhere on the globe and still call it home”

Italian students Skype.

― Kirsten Smith, The Geography of Girlhood “I was lying to myself when I thought I was lost, I have never been lost - I just wasn't ready to be found.” ― Nikki Rowe

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4th Geniko Lykeio Zografou, Greece ADDRESS: VACTRIANIS 99, ANO ILISSIA, 15772 TELEPHONE: 210 77 05 725 - 210 77 11 902 - FAX : 210 77 05 725 E-MAIL : mail@4lyk-zograf.att.sch.gr Website: http://www.4lykzografou.gr School of Saint John de La Salle, Slovakia Čachtická 14 831 06 Bratislava email: secretariat@lasalle.sk website: www.lasalle.sk Telephone: +421 2/44881705 Liceo Ainis, Sicily, Italy Address: Via Antonello Freri - 98124 Messina Email: MEPM010009@istruzione.it I Liceum Ogólnokształcące w Wejherowie King Jan III Sobieski Upper Secondary School No.1 in Wejherowo ADDRESS: ul. Bukowa 1, 84-200 Wejherowo, Poland PHONE NO.: 48 058 672 24 58 E-MAIL: sekretariat@liceum1.pl WEBSITE: www.liceum1.pl Sashegyi Arany János Általános Iskola és Gimnázium 1124 Budapest, Meredek utca 1. Hungary Telefon: 1/319-33-78 Fax: 1/310 72 91

Not all who wander are lost.

- J. R. R. Tolkien

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