The Erasmus+ project brings together students and teachers alike from different countries to explore and learn about the culture of different countries from all around our continent. The week started with an official opening ceremony at Liceul Tehnologic Sfântul Pantelimon, where we were welcomed to the school. The day began with ice-breaking activities which helped us get to know each other. The first workshop of the day required us to give a short presentation about our hometowns. After a short coffee break, we engaged in team-building activities through sport. The day followed with a lunch break at Megamall, where we had the chance to do some shopping among other activities. Finally, we went around town with our hosts all together and we had great fun.

On the second day we started with a city tour of Bucharest, where we visited important architectural sites, such as “Casa Ceausescu” - their past dictator’s spring palace - and “The Village Museum”, which showcased vernacular architecture. After that, we had lunch at “Carul cu bere”, a beautiful restaurant near the previous stop. We enjoyed a good meal and live music before attending a lecture at “The Parliament Palace”, the second largest building in the world.

On our third day, we embarked on a full-day documentary trip to explore the Romanian cultural heritage in the Carpathian Mountains. The trip included visits to famous castles such as Peles Castle, where we enjoyed lunch at “Cabana Trei Brazi”. After lunch, some of us went trekking. I can't blame those who stayed though, it was cold and windy outside. Back to the point, the landscape and the scenery was truly breathtaking. I had the pleasure of chatting more calmly with other participants, and even made a few friends who I’m still in

contact with a month after this whole experience was over. On Thursday we continued our exploration by visiting Bran Castle and The medieval Braşov. These two thematic visits provided us with an insight into the history and architecture of Transylvania. Personally, I found Bran Castle a bit disappointing, as I thought it would be the real Dracula’s Castle and it turned out to be just the place where the movie had been filmed We began our last day with a quick evaluation session of the whole week. After that, we received our certificates of attendance. I had mine signed by all the friends I made along the journey. I couldn't help but to shed a tear or two when it was finally time to leave. To me, it was a huge step forward stepping out of my comfort zone, talking to new people and making conversation in a foreign language. I'm truly grateful I was able to go on this trip, the

memories will last a lifetime. 

Alonso Estero  4ºESO