We will visit 10 countries from Europe:

Romania

Turkey

Greece

Poland

Italy

Spain

Portugal

Bulgaria

Lithuania

Latvia

Let's go!

Our story starts in Romania, in south, in a place named Alexandria...

 Once upon a time, in a small town in a country named Romania, there was a girl named Maria. She was very happy because she was happy because she lived in a plain area with fields of wheat and corn, with flowers and clear waters, near her city.

    She was a proud Romanian who had a happy childhood. She remembers the wonderful winters when she played in the snow and realizes that the much-loved snow has been gone for several winters, that the winters have become sadder, like her.

    After visiting the capital of the country, Maria decides to take a trip by train to the Black Sea. There, she meets her good friend, Amalia. The two are eager to admire the values of the sea, the beach and the seagulls that fly incessantly in the sky. While walking along the seafront, they can admire the Constanta Casino. It is a historical building and is considered the symbol of Romania's largest port.

Also, Maria and Amalia went to the Dolphinarium. They were vert happy to see the dolphins and the acrobatics they did.

        Mary's journey continued. Maria arrived in a beautiful mountain area in Transylvania - Toplița, Harghita.

Maria was very happy because she reunited here with a friend from the kindergarten years - with Ioana. Together they decided to visit some tourist attractions in the area and so they left for the Mesothermal Waterfall. They were amazed by her beauty. They continued their adventure to the ski slope, but Maria got angry because she couldn't ski because the snow had melted. They didn't want the day to be wasted and bought tickets for the bobsled track, the longest bobsled track in Romania. When the bob started, Maria got scared and started to scream, but Ioana told her that she had nothing to be afraid of because it would be fun. The day passed quickly and Maria had to get to the station to leave for a new destination. She was sad because she had to part with her friend but she knew that new adventures were waiting for her.

Desislava

Desislava

Мария продължила своето пътешествие докато най-накрая решила да посети съседката си България! Там тя първо пристигнала в столицата София. София бил голям и красив град.  Решила да отиде в Зоологическата градина, където срещнала много различни животни. Забавно й беше да играе и да се запознае с маймунката, със слончето с мечката и с таралежът.

След Зоологическата градина Мария реши, че иска нещо забавно и посети музея на Илюзиите. Там тя рисува със светлина, създаваше сенки и незабравими моменти в света наопаки. Това много й хареса и беше щастлива и доволна. 

Накрая, когато вече бе уморена реши да си почине в парк "Горна Баня" - там тя седна на една пейка и дълго време релаксира. Когато си почина напълно Мария реши да посети още един по малък град в България -Добрич. Пристигайки в Добрич тя се срещна със своята приятелка Мая. Двете се разходиха и посетиха "Дом паметник Йордан Йовков" там те се запознаха с живота на голямата и известна поетеса Дора Габе! Двете си купиха нейна книга! На следващия ден Мария продължи своето пътешествие.

Handan

     Handan

Maria was very excited when she came to Istanbul. Two different continents were passing between one city. The sea was very beautiful and the buildings were very tall. The streets were full of people and very crowded. He got on the ferry at sea and was very surprised by the seagulls. It was the first time he saw cats on the streets. Her friend in Istanbul, Aylin, told Maria that there were many cats in Istanbul. Maria also loved cats very much. They gave food to cats by the sea. Maria enjoyed riding the ferry, seeing historical buildings and petting cats.

Gurcan

Gurcan

Maria took the bus to Istanbul. She was so excited to see the world famous  city located on  Asia and Europe. But it was not today to visit the places  there because she was invited to Yalova by her pen pal; Elif. Maria had a happy ferry trip. She fed the seagulls with bagel; Turks call it simit.First she was afraid of the animals.Elif welcomed Maria at the seaport. They had lunch at a small restaurant nearby.Elif recommended lahmacun; Turkish pizza. Maria liked it and ate baklava too.  Ayşe took her to a specal place. The Walking Pavillion. It was owned by Ataturk the great Turkish leader but now it is a museum. Elif told the story Ataturk didn't want to cut the branch of the tree, instead he asked to move the Pavillion . Then they went to Turkish bath in Termal. Maria didn't have much time; she has to go another place. Thry hugged each other. It is time to visit another place.

Duygu Deveci

Esra

Esra

Maria's story continues, she wanted to see Antalya, a city in Turkey. That Maria also told her parents about this situation, and their parents said that they could go to Antalya on vacation, Maria was very happy about this situation, she immediately packed her suitcase, she prepared and set out with her family, she heard that Antalya could be a very warm place on the way, but Maria didn't bring thin clothes with her, she had brought thicker clothes because she lived in a cold place, she was very upset about this situation, but her mother comforted her, she told her daughter that they could be new clothes from Antalya, she was again very happy and she thanked her mother.
When Maria came to Antalya, she encountered a blue sea, the sea was so beautiful that she wanted to run and swim right away, but since they got there in the evening, they had to go to the hotel first Maria was a little upset about this situation, but she still relieved her thinking that she could swim tomorrow. The next day he went swimming immediately after breakfast with his family. When he entered the sea, he realized that the water of the white sea was very salty, he was very surprised how the sea could be salty. Maria asked her mother why the sea is salty, and her mother explained this. Maria then spent all day playing games in the sea and in the sand, she loved it so much Maria couldn't wait to come to the Mediterranean again.

Alexandra&Eleni

Αλεξάνδρα & Ελένη

Kindergarten of Psychiko Serres

Maria's next stop was Northern Greece, specifically Serres, which is located in the Region of Central Macedonia.

Maria was excited to finally meet her friend Eftychia. They had met the previous summer when they were on summer vacation with their families.

Both girls were very happy to meet again.

First they decided to sit somewhere for a while, share their news and let Maria eat something. Eftychia suggested she try Bougatsa. The pie that Serres is famous for. Maria then suggested that they should take a short walk around town. During their walk, Eftychia thought it was a good idea for a dessert and what better than akane, the traditional loukoumi delight of Serres made from good quality butter.

Eftychia had already decided where she would go with her friend.

So after their walk they headed to Lake Kerkini. It is an artificial lake that is an important wetland. It was created after the damming of the river Strymonas. When they got there Maria was surprised by so many rare bird species as well as many animals that she saw living in the lake. After they walked on the shores of the lake, Eftychia suggested that they should also go boating. It was a wonderful experience for Maria.

Their next excursion was to the cave of Alistratis.

The Alistratis Cave of Serres is considered one of the largest and most beautiful Caves not only in Greece but also in Europe with a total length of routes that reach 3 km with huge stalactites and stalagmites in various colors.

Maria was very surprised to see the cave guide who was none other than a robot Persephone.

The time that Maria had at her disposal to stay with her friend Eftychia unfortunately ended because she had to visit other places to meet her other friends who were waiting for her.

Vlasis, Dimitra & Georgia

Vlasis, Dimitra & Georgia

Maria had long organized her trip to Central Greece. Her friends Giannis and Olympia had invited her last summer when they spent their holidays with her on the island of Santorini. They felt a deep friendship and now it was time for them to meet.

Maria arrived by train in Larissa, the largest city in the Thessalian plain. Thessaly is the region with the largest plain in all of Greece. This is why in ancient Greece it had the greatest horses. Mary's first visit was to the big iron horse in the centre of the town, next to the river.

The children's next visit was to the river Pineios, which waters the plain and has a protected wetland in its delta. Maria felt great joy and surprise to see so many rare birds. Next to the river is Papa's Mill, a water mill that ground the grain. Today it functions as a museum. Maria was fascinated by the stories of the mill.

The children's last visit was to Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. There they did mountaineering and climbing. Maria was a little nervous and scared but she finally made it and satisfaction and joy was painted on her face.

Gkοlfo

3rd 

Kindergarten

of Filiatra

      Maria traveled by plane and arrived at the island of Rhodes. She visited the butterfly valley and was very happy to see so many and  rare butterflies. Then she went to eat with her mother at the nearest tavern on the beach. When Maria saw the menu, she got very angry  because the tavern had no noodles. Her mom took her to the beach to  calm down. There, Maria looked at the sea, took a breath and calmed down. After she decided to return to the tavern and to eat another meal.In the afternoon they returned to the city of Rhodes and visited the  island of the knights. She admired the castle and climbed to the  highest point to see the view from there. As soon as she looked down at  the view, she became dizzy and was afraid of falling. Her mom took her downstairs to stop her being scared and they went back to the hotel to get their suitcases. Τhe next day they traveled for another destination. During their flight Maria was sad to leave the island of Rhodes but her mom reminded her that  the rest of the places they will visit, will be just as beautiful as  Rhodes.

Roberta

Roberta

Maria arrives in Colleferro, a small town in Lazio, where she meets Sara a young astronaut. In fact in Colleferro there is the Avio, a factory of space rockets that builds a special rocket for them, to move faster. Maria is excited but also thoughtful, she has never used a space rocket! With the rocket they arrive in Rome in front of the Colosseum, the most famous monument of ancient Rome. Maria is excited and emotioned. Sara has become a gladiator and now tells that the Colosseum was a theater used for fights between gladiators and wild beasts: now Maria is afraid and wants to see other things. Then they arrive at the “Mouth of Truth”, a large marble face with an open mouth that bites the hand of everybody who tells lies. Maria is a bit scared but she sticks her hand in the statue’s mouth and says “I’m hungry now!”. It’s the truth, so the statue stays still, and it’is just the time of a nice plate of carbonara pasta, a typical Roman recipe with bacon, eggs, pepper and pecorino cheese. After lunch the girls move to Naples and Sara becomes Pulcinella, a typical Neapolitan mask. They see the beautiful show of the Gulf of Naples and they are amazed. In Naples is a beautiful sunny day, the sea is calm, the volcano Vesuvius smokes and the boats head towards the coast. Naples is a beautiful city with cheerful people and there is the pizza. Then they approach Vesuvius, the great volcano of Naples and Sara tells to Maria that, in ancient times, Vesuvius erupted, destroyed the houses, buried many people and forced the others to flee. Now Maria is sad and Sara thinks to make her happy with a good Margherita pizza, with tomato, mozzarella and basil. The journey is almost over, but before leaving Italy the girls move to the beautiful island of Sicily. Here, Sara is a tipycal sicilian girl. Now they visit the “Valley of the temples” of Agrigento, where there are the remains of a lot of Greek temples and see a typical Sicilian cart, an ancient very decorated means of transport. The girls now are very amused but also sad because they have to greet each other: for Maria is time to continue her journey.

Cristina

Cristina

María arrived Spain by plane. She was very excited because it was her fist time in Spain!. She wanted to visit many cities in Spain but there wasn´t time. Carmen was waiting for her in the airport of Madrid (Spain Capital).

Carmen and María met at an Erasmus Program. They were very happy to see each other again. Firstly, they visited places in Madrid, as well as Prado Museum, Warner Bros Park... and they were hungry and decided to eat typical Spanish food... PAELLA!!

Finally, they took the train to Sevilla, because in April is celebrated the famous Fair there! They bought 2 flamenco´s dress and went to the fair to enjoy it! It was amazing.

Bruno

Lisboa

Caldas da Rainha

Óbidos

Supertubos

Bruno

   Maria then took the bus to Portugal. She thought "I would like to visit a country full of beaches and sea". 

    When she arrived to Lisboa, the capital of Portugal, she walked through the streets, full of life and history. She found out the portuguese people were very nice ! When she asked about where could she go to the beach to do some surf and relax, they told him "go to Zona Oeste (West Coast)".

    She catched a train and arrived in no time to Caldas da Rainha, a beautiful thermal city. From there, she to the nearby medievel village of Óbidos. The next day she went to relax at the beach of Foz do Arelho.

     To surf, she went to Peniche, in the beach of Supertubos, and had some surf lessons, with great waves and a beautiful view.

   She had a really great time!!!

Gabriella

Gabriella

Maria arrives in Venice, in Italy.

Maria is happy: she meets Colombina, a girl in a typical Venetian mask.

Maria is worried there are no roads, no cars, but streets called “calli”, canals and bridges,

a lot of bridges! 

<<How do we get around? >> Mary asks. 

<<By “gondola” the typical Venetian black boat with a golden “pettine” at the bow >> Colombina replies.

Maria is amazed: she sees artists creating glass objects: horses and pendants.

Maria is excited to see the beautiful mosaics inside the Basilica of San Marco.

In San Marco Square there are orchestras playing and lots of pigeons, a real joy for tourists. 

Maria feels good!

Now Maria is afraid: she sees a lion, but… nooo… it's only the flag of the Republic of 

Venice.

Maria is tired: up and down the bridges until the famous Rialto Bridge.

<<Time to rest, Maria! Tomorrow another journey awaits you>> says Colombina.

Maria

Maria

Maria liked to travel, in Poland, but also visited other countries with her parents. One day, together with her older brother, she decided to go for a walk around the corners of Srem, located in the western part of Poland. They took their scooters and, full of joy, set off along the promenade along the Warta River. Then they drove past the church, a little uncertainly, because they knew the legend about the walled up monk. How happy Maria was when she saw her friend Ania. She also joined the expedition. The girls have always loved animals, so they couldn't miss the small zoo, and concerned about the smallest animals, they moved on. They were afraid that they could no longer go because their parents would worry. Maria was tired but happy because she had discovered many interesting places in her city.

    This way we traveled through different cultures and we experienced different emotions!

In the world are so many cultures, but....

... we feels the same things!