Ebook.allpptx tr

JASON’S SEVEN DAYS
IN TURKEY

Today was very busy. First, I called Mrs Sengul and told her about
my surprise visit. We set up the dates. She became very happy. I
told her I would visit İstanbul first and then Bursa.
Deniz: So you will be in Istanbul on 17 th December. Do you have
any friends in Istanbul? Who will you be your tour guide there?
Jason: I will be alone. I don’t know anybody.

• Deniz: Jason ı know you want to make suprise to all of
your friends here but Pınar will be in İstanbul by then.
If I say her you will be there ,too, she would be very glad
to accompany you. She knows alot about Istanbul. She
can be your tour guide. What do you think?
• Jason: I think that’s a great idea.
Mrs Sengul set up everything. I will be with Pınar in
İstanbul. She will take me from Atatürk airport and we will
spend three days in Istanbul. They even arrange the hotel I
am going to stay.

Nothing happened serious yesterday so I didn’t write anything. I
packed my luggage. I am ready to go. I will miss my family. Although
they are not my real family, I love them. I owe them a lot. My lovely
mum was a bit nervous. She is always very careful about us.
Mum: Jason you know we love you. Please be careful and don’t do
anything that is risky. Promise me!
Jason. OK mum I won’t do anything stupid.
MY MUM

It is 23 30 right now. I can’t sleep. I am very excited. My
flight is at 6.00 am. The flight takes 4 hours. I must set
up my watch. There are two hours difference between
Turkey and England. It will arrive at Istanbul at 12:00
o’clock. That’s great I must sleep now but how?
MY DAD

• I have never loved flights. I feel nervous when I am in
planes. But the flight by Turkish airlines was great. The
food and service were excellent. The Atatürk airport was
busy like Heatrow Airport. It landed in Turkey without
delay. Pınar was waiting for me outside. We took a taxi
and went to the the hotel. I left my luggage there. We
didn’t want to waste time so we started to explore
timeless beauty of Istanbul.

• There is an old saying which Pınar thought me in
Turkish. ‘Aç ayı oynamaz’. The translation is ‘ Hungry
bear don’t dance’. It means people don’t want to work
when they are hungry. I completely agree with this
saying. For this reason, We first went to a restaurant. I
ate Adana Kebab, Çoban Salad and drank ayran. I can’t
explain its taste with words. After that, we ate Künefe as
a dessert. It is a pastry soaked in sweet sugar-based
syrup . It was delicious.We weren't hungry anymore. So
we started our trip for real

• First, we visited Hagia Sofia Museum. It was used as a
church for 916 years but, following the conquest of
Istanbul by Fatih Sultan Mehmed, the Hagia Sophia was
converted into mosque. Afterwards, it was used as a
mosque for 482 years. It’s famous for its massive
dome.Now it is used as a museum. It is a great place to
visit.

• Then our next stop was Basilica Cistern. It is
the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns
that lie beneath the city of Istanbul. It was
built in the 6th century during the reign of
Byzantine. We took photos inside and outside
cistern. I knew about that cistern before. I am
a fan of Dan Brown and read all of his books.
In his last book Inferno, some parts of the
story took place in Istanbul and also in this
cistern.

• Then,at Sultan Ahmet Square , we had a break and ate
famous Sultan Ahmet meatballs. The food is very cheap in
Istanbul. 2 or 3 euroes is enough for eating good meal. And
everything is very delicious. I think I can live here forever.
We also visited inside of Sultan Ahmet Mosque. The mosque
is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles
adorning the walls of its interior. It was built in 1616. It was
Namaz time then. When I heard Ezan(Call for namaz), for the
first time, I felt relief. I watched the people while performing
namaz. I think It is something like Yoga. The atmosphere in
the mosque was serene. I prayed God ( Allah for muslims) in
my language in their mosque. We all believe same the God.
We are trying to reach him but using different ways all of
which lead to Him in the end.

• After that we had a half an hour break at a tea
garden. Tea is very important in Turkey. They have
special small glasses. They drink black tea without
milk. I like it.

• Then we went to Topkapı Palace. It was one of
the major residences of the Ottoman sultans
for almost 400 years (1465–1856) of their 624-
year reign. As well as a royal residence, the
palace was a setting for state occasions and
royal entertainments. It is now a museum and
as such a major tourist attraction.

• Our last stop for today was Maiden’s Tower.It is a
tower lying on a small islet located at the southern
entrance of the Bosphorus. There are many
legends about the construction of the tower and
its location. Pınar told me the most popular
Turkish legend about it.

• Pınar: An emperor had a much beloved
daughter and one day, an oracle
prophesied that she would be killed by
a venomous snake on her 18th
birthday. The emperor, in an effort to
thwart his daughter's early demise by
placing her away from land so as to
keep her away from any snakes, had
the tower built in the middle of the
Bosphorus to protect his daughter until
her 18th birthday. The princess was
placed in the tower, where she was
frequently visited only by her father.

• On the 18th birthday of the princess, the emperor
brought her a basket of exotic sumptuous fruits as a
birthday gift, delighted that he was able to prevent the
prophecy. Upon reaching into the basket, however, an
asp that had been hiding among the fruit bit the young
princess and she died in her father's arms, just as the
oracle had predicted. Hence the name Maiden's Tower.
• Jason: The legend is impressive. You can’t escape from
your fate.

• We took photos of that famous tower before going to a
restaurant. The restaurant was great. You can eat good
examples of famous Turkish meals with a fantastic view
of Golden Horn. I drank Tripe Soup, ate ‘*Su Böreği’ and
*Stuffed Grape Leaves as a starter. As a main meal, we
ate Kuzu Tandır. And after that ‘Baklava’. They were very
delicious. We drank Turkish coffee and chatted about our
lives and countries.
KUZU TANDIR BAKLAVA

• . I was very tired at the end of the day and we
decided to explore night life in İstanbul next day.
Now I am in bed. My feets are aching. But I am
very happy to be here. Istanbul is a great city.Now
I understand its importance throughout the history
and why there were so many wars to have it.

• My first impression on Turkey and İstanbul is that:
 It is a secular country and everybody is free to live as they
want Istanbul is one of the most beautiful city I have ever
met.
 Food is cheap and very very delicious.
 The traffic in İstanbul is bad. It is very crowded because the
population is over 14 millions
 People are friendly and helpful.
• As for Pınar,She is very cute and friendly. I like her a lot. We
have some same interests. And she is an excellent tour guide

• Hi again,
• My second day ended with a lot of good memories. Let me start
from the beginning. We met at Atatürk Primary School at Atatürk
Street.
• Jason: What is it with *Atatürk?
• I understood I made a very big mistake from the way Pınar looked
at me.

• Pınar: What? Don’t you know him?
• Jason: No. Who is he?
• Pınar: I can talk about him for hours. He was our
great leader. Thanks to him, Turkey won
Independence war. Turkey became independent
and republic.We owe him alot.
• Jason: I beg your pardon for my ignorance. I will
learn more about him. I promise.

• Our first stop was Galata Tower. It is a
medieval stone tower, just to the north of the
Golden Horn's junction with the Bosphorus.
One of the city's most striking landmarks, it is
a high, cone-capped cylinder that dominates
the skyline and offers a panoramic vista of
Istanbul's historic peninsula.We took photos
there

• . We stopped at Taksim Square for lunch. Taksim is a
very colorful street. There are shops, cafes and
restaurants. Istanbul is a multi cultural city. You can
see people from different countries just like in
London. There are also people from Syria
everywhere. I asked Pınar’s opinion about them.
• Pınar: We can’t close our borders and let them die.
They are our neighbours. In our religion there is a
saying: If you can sleep full when your neighbour is
hungry, you are not from us.

PINAR AND ME,
SOMEWHERE IN
ISTANBUL

• Our next destination was Ortaköy. We sat at a
Tea garden and drank our tea by the beautiful
view of Istanbul Bridge, Bospourus and the
sea.
• We ate fish at Eminönü. They call it ’Balık
Ekmek’.

• We were ready for the night life of Istanbul.
Istanbul is a never sleeping city. Pubs, discos and
cafes are open 24/7. We went to a famous pub
called Renia. Pınar came with her cousins. The
music and the atmosphere were great. Pınar
taught me how to make belly dance

• . We enjoyed a lot. It was 3 am when I finally get
back hotel. I kept my promise and made a research
on Atatürk. The more I learn about him, the more
my admiration towards him increase .

• This was our last day in Istanbul. I woke up late.
We decided to go to one of the small islands
close to Istanbul. There are 9 Islands. We chose
biggest one called Büyük Ada which means big
island. Our tour included Bosphorus tour and
visiting of Büyük Ada. We met at 11 am.
Bosphorus tour was brilliant. There are very
beautiful and historical mansions on the both
sides of it. We ate Simit (is a circular small
bread typically encrusted with sesame seeds)and
drank tea, which is Çay in Turkish.

• We spent some time on the Asian part of Istanbul
as well. We went to Kadıköy square and took
photos of Haydar Paşa Station.
HAYDAR PAŞA
STATION

• It was almost 1 pm and our boat started to sail
through Büyük Ada. The life in Ada is different
from the life in Istanbul. The people are rare.
There is no traffic because there are no cars or
other vehicles. People in Island either ride a bike
or get on carts.

• The mansions are massive and beautiful and they are very
expensive. Only very rich people can live on the ısland. Here
are the photos ı took there. We got on cart and went to Aya
Yorgi church, which is the principal Greek Orthodox
cathedral still in use. I lit candles and prayed.

• The best thing to eat on Büyük Ada is grilled
fish. We ate in a restaurant near the sea. And then
we of course drank Çay afterwords at the seaside.

• It was 7 pm when we finally got back Istanbul and got ready
to get on Ferry to Mudanya. I was very excited because I
would see my friends next day.
• It only took an hour and a half to reach Mudanya. Mrs Şengül
was waiting for us.

• I was going to stay in Montania Hotel. It is a special hotel in
Mudanya. It is a converted French station featuring guest
rooms with orginal architectural details.
• The hotel was very close to ferries so we walked. They
helped me check in. We arranged the surprise for my friends.
And they left me there to rest for the busy tomorrow.

• This was one of the most important days in my life. Do you
believe love at first sight? Actually, I didn’t use to believe
until today. I think I should start from the beginning.
• I had breakfast at the hotel. The view of sea was spectacular.
After breakfast, I went up to my room and took my friends’
presents. Mrs Şengül came to take me at their lunch break.
She took me to their school. My friends didn’t know anything
about me. Mrs Şengül said she had a surprise for them but
nothing more.

• When they saw me, they were really surprised and happy. I
gave them the presents. At that time we heard knock at the
door. Ezgi came in.
• Ezgi: Sorry teacher I am late.
• Mrs Şengül. Oh Ezgi come in and meet Jason. You weren’t in
our previous project so you didn’t know each other. Jason this
is Ezgi and Ezgi this is Jason.
• Ezgi: Nice to meet you, Jason.
• Jason: Nice to meet you, Ezgi.
• When I saw Ezgi, I thought my heart missed a beat. I closed my
eyes and I dreamed myself at a train station where I reached
my long-awaited true love. My feelings were indefinable

• Mrs Şengül took a special permission for her eTwinning team
to leave the school after lunch break. So that they didn’t have
to attend the lessons in the afternoon. We took a trip around
Mudanya.
• Mudanya is a small town and provinence of Bursa in the
Marmara Region of Turkey. It is located on the Gulf of Gemlik
part of the southern coast of the Sea of Marmara.

• Before starting our trip, we ate lunch in Mudanya municipality
restaurant. This building was also a part of old railway station
like the hotel I was staying. It was very close to my hotel. We
ate fish and chated about our previous Project. After lunch we
took photos in Atatürk Park. We walked by the seaside. There
are a lot of fish restaurants where you can find fresh fish
thoughout the year.

• Our second stop was Armistice House. It’s an important
place in Turkish history because Mudanya Armistice
Agreement was signed in that house. At the end of this
agreement the Allies left Turkish territory.

• In the past, a lot of Greek people used to live in Mudanya.
For this reason, you can see a lot of mansions or houses in
old greek style. I love the old houses here.

• Our last stop was Yıldız Hill. We drank tea at the tea garden
on Yıldız Hill and took photos there. It was one of the highest
point of Mudanya. The view was spectecular.

• At the end of the day, I was very tired. We walked
back to my hotel.
• During the day, I tried hard to take my eyes off
Ezgi. She is really cute and funny. Now I am in my
bed writing my diary and still thinking of her. I’m
very excited for tomorrow because we will visit
Bursa and I will meet Ezgi again.

• Today everything was arranged for me again. After Breakfast,
they came to take me with minibus. Mrs Şengül is a very
organised woman. She told me about our destination and trip
plan. We were going to visit Bursa city centre today and
tomorrow to Uludağ mountain. On my last day in Bursa, they
organized a special event for me at school.
• Jason: What about going to schooltoday, Mrs Şengül? You and
your students are supposed to be at school now, aren’t you?
• Mrs Şengül: You are right but thanks to our headmaster, we are
allowed to not to go to school for three days.
• Jason: That’s great.

• Our first stop was Culture park in Bursa. It is a very big park
which includes a big fun fair, some restaurants, tea gardens,
play grounds and cafes There is also a big pond where you can
row small boats. At the fun fair we enjoyed a lot. Ezgi and I got
on roller-coaster. She hold my hand at the top of it. I felt the
butterflies in my stomach. I missed that feeling.

• We also visited Kargöz and Hacivat Musuem. Do you
know them? They are very popular in Bursa. They are
the lead characters of traditional shadow play.

• Next we went up to Tophane. There are tombs of two very
important people there, Osmangazi and Orhangazi.
Osmangazi was the first emprerior and founder of Ottoman
Empire. Orhangazi was his son. Bursa was the first capital
city of Ottoman empire. We visited Osmangazi’s and
Orhangazi’s tombs and my friends prayed for them. We
stopped for a tea break. As I said before tea is very
important for Turkish people. You can see a beautiful view of
Bursa from Tophane. We retsed there for a while and then
set off to road.

• Our next stop was ‘Kapalı Çarşı’. I wanted to go there
because I wanted to buy presents for my friends in Poland
and my family. I bought towels, magnets and evil eye beads
(NazarBoncuğu) and candied chestnut, which is special
dessert of Bursa.

• Ulu Camii (Mosque) is an important monument. It
is the biggest mosque in Bursa. We entered inside.
It was very beautiful.

• We took photos in front of Atatürk’s Statue in Heykel Square.
Ezgi asked me.
• Ezgi: Jason! Do you know who was Atatatürk?
• I looked at Pınar and we both smiled. I blinked at her and
answered.
• Jason: Yes, of course. He was the founder of Turkish
Republic.
• Ezgi looked impressed.
• Ezgi: Great! You are right.

• We stopped to eat famous meal of Bursa, İskender Kebab. It
was first made in Bursa by İskender Efendi in 1867. Actually I
had eaten İskender kebab in London. But the one I ate in
Bursa can not be compared to it. It was great.

• Then we went to ‘Yeşil’ Tomb. It is a mausoleum of the fifth
Ottoman Sultan, Mehmed I, in Bursa. We entered the tomb.
It was built on a hexagonal plan and crowned with a hemi-
spherical dome. The exterior of the mausoleum is clad with
green-blue tiles that give it its name.

• We sat at a tea garden there.We drank Turkish coffee which was
served with delicious Turkish delight.
• İrem: Jason, do you know I can read your fortune by looking at
patterns and shapes inside residual coffee grounds of your cup?
• Jason: Really?
• Sevin: Yes that’s true. Turkish coffee fortune telling is popular
and very common in Turkey.
• Jason: Do you need a special talent?
• İrem: No not actually. You need to know how to interpret the
shapes.
• Jason: Ok. I think it will be fun.Can you tell me the process of
this fortune telling?

• İrem: Firstly, the coffee should be drunk only from one side
of the cup. When the coffee is finished, the saucer is placed
on top of the cup, and a wish is made. With the saucer still
covering the top, the cup is held at chest level and turned
counter-clockwise a few times. Following this, the cup is
turned upside down onto the saucer, and left to cool. When
the coffee cup is cool enough, someone other that the
person who drunk the coffee opens the cup, and starts
interpreting the shapes for divination

• The fortune telling was really fun. I enjoyed the
process. I think I should buy Turkish coffee for my
friends in Poland so that I can read their fortunes.
İrem said I would find my true love soon. She was
wrong. I had already found it two days ago:)

• Our last stop for today was Karabaş-ı Veli Tekkesi.
Karabaş-ı Veli is a name of a dervish and tekke means
dervish lodge. While we were walking there, I wasn’t
expect to find something interesting but ı was wrong.
• There was music, a kind of dance and
dhikir(rememberance of god) of Allah’s name. I
impressed with the dance. Dance is called ‘Semazen’.
Dervishes were turning around themselves with soft
music called Sufi Song.

• Jason: Aleyna, they turned around themselves for more
than an hour. How did they prevent vertigo?
• Aleyna: They have a special position of their head to
avoid vertigo.
• Jason: Why are they turning?
• Aleyna:The Mawlawi believe in performing their dhikr
in the form of a "dance" and musical ceremony known
as the Sama, which involves the whirling, from which
the order acquired its nickname. The Sema represents a
mystical journey of man's spiritual ascent through mind
and love to the "Perfect". Turning towards the truth, the
follower grows through love, deserts his ego, finds the
truth, and arrives at the "Perfect". He then returns from
this spiritual journey as a man who has reached
maturity and a greater perfection, able to love and to be
of service to the whole of creation

• Jason: You explained it well but to understand well, I
need to read more about it.
• Aleyna: Read about Mevlana Cellaleddin Rumi.
• Jason: Who is he?
• Aleyna: He was the founder of Sama Ceremony.
• Jason: OK. I will. Thank you.

• It was time to turn back to Mudanya. We were
very tired but in the minibus we listened some of
the popular Turkish songs and danced.
• I searched about Mavlana and learned more about
him. This is the second character I impressed a lot
from Turkish history.
• I must sleep now. Because tomorrow will be more
tiresome than today. I am very happy and excited
for tomorrow.

• I woke up earlier because I was invited to Ceren’s home.
Ceren and her father took me from the hotel. While entering
the house, Ceren said:
• Ceren: Jason, could you please take off your shoes. Normally
Turkish people don’t wear shoes at home.
• Jason: That’s interesting. Why?
• Ceren: To keep our house more hygenic. You can take these
slippers.
• Ceren’s mother prepared a big breakfast for me. I ate
‘pastırma and sucuk’ for the first time there. I liked them.
They are something like bacon but with more spice.

BREAKFAST WITH CEREN’S FAMILY

• After breakfast, we walked to Atatürk park, which was our
meeting point. The minibus was already there. We were late.
We set off the road. Today Mrs Şengül’s daughter, Ceyda
was with us, too. She is very cute. I like her

• Sevin has got beautiful voice and she sang songs to us on our
way to Uludağ. The minibus took us to the cable car. We
couldn’t all get on the same cable car. Me, Ezgi, Edanur and
Beyzanur got on other cable. Edanur is Ezgi’s best friend. We
chatted, took photos during our small journey to Uludağ. I
learned Beyzanur was also interested in football. She was a
fan of Bursaspor Team. And tonight there was a football
match between Galatasaray and Bursaspor. After Uludağ
trip, Beyzanur was planning to go the match.

• Beyzanur: Why don’t you come with me? Tonight’s match is
very important because it will be the first match in
Bursaspor’s new stadium. It is called Timsaha.
• Jason: Timsaha? Does this word has a meaning in Turkish?
• Edanur: Timsah means alligator which is the symbol of
Bursaspor.
• Ezgi: Saha means pitch. Actually it is the combination of two
words. Timsah+ saha= Timsaha.
• Jason: That’s great, indeed. Anyway, I would love to come
with you Beyzanur. Can we find tickets?
• Beyzanur: Yes, of course. I have three more tickets. Edanur
and Ezgii why don’t you with us. We have two more tickets.

• Edanur: Really great. I would love to come. I am a Bursaspor
fan.
• Ezgi: I don’t mind football but probablly I will be very tired
then.
• Jason: Oh Ezgi, please come.
• I don’t know how I said so. She looked in my eyes and
smiled.
• Ezgi: OK. Jason. I will come.

• By the time we reached Uludağ, the weather
changed. It was cold there. Şeyma, İrem Sevim and
I knew how to ski but others not so they prefer
sledge. We hired equipments for skiing. We went
up to the top of the mountain by chair lift. Others
stayed at the sledging area. Skiing from top was
great.

MRS ŞENGÜL AND CEYDA ON SLEDGE

• My friends said that It was common to eat grilled
Sucuk in bread in Uludağ. We kept the tradition
and ate sucuk-ekmek(bread).We had snowball
fight and made snowman. We all but especially
Mrs Şengül’s daugher, Ceyda enjoyed a lot.

• Minibus left us at the front gate of Timsaha. Others
continued their way to Mudanya. Ezgi, Beyza, Edanur and I
were ready for the big match. We bought flags of Bursaspor.
The atmosphere inside the stadium was great. The match
was exciting and Bursaspor fought to finish. It was the last
minute and the score was draw( 0-0 )Then one of the
footballer from Bursaspor took the ball and scored a goal.
The Bursaspor fans stood up and cheered. Goal… People
started hugging each other. Out of blue, Ezgi and I hugged
each other. It was an awkward moment. We looked each
other and smiled.
• After match, Beyzanur, Ezgi ,Edanur and I linked our arms
and walked with other Bursaspor fans and cheered.

• Today was great. I am still thinking of the things
we did during the day. Tomorrow, we will be at
school. They are preparing a special Farewell Party
for me so they will be busy and we can’t have
chance to go anywhere. Anyway I prefer helping
them and stay with them more.

• I woke up early and had a shower. I got dressed quickly
because today I was invited to Şeyma’s house for breakfast.
Şeyma is a very cute girl. She is cool and friendly. I didn’t
forget to take off my shoes before entering the house this
time. Şeyma’s mother prepared a very big breakfast for us.
Everything was delicious. But we have to be quick to go to
school on time. After breakfast, they gave me cologne.

• Jason: It smells good. Is it for hygiene?
• Şeyma: No, it is for refreshment.
• Şeyma’s father took us to school and we weren’t
late. On the way to school, Şeyma told me:
• Şeyma: Today all the students in our class are
allowed not to enter classes because our
headmaster gave us special permission to prepare
the event.

• Şeyma’s father took us to school and we weren’t late. On the
way to school, Şeyma told me:
• Şeyma: Today all the students in our class are allowed not to
enter classes because our headmaster gave us special
permission to prepare the event.
• Mrs Şengül and other girls were rehearsing in the conference
room. Şeyma introduced some friends from their class.
• Şeyma: Hey, boys! Come here and meet Jason. Jason these
are Nadir, Ali and Muharrem.
• Jason: Hi guys. Nice to meet you.

• Ali: We have been looking forward to meeting you Jason. We
know you love football. Come and play with us. We have a
special permission from the headmaster so we are free now.
Girls are busy with the event. Let’s hang up man-to-man OK?
• Actually I would prefer to be with Ezgi and the girls but you
know I love football.
• Jason: OK. Let’s play.
• The boys in 11/D class were very friendly. The match was
enjoyable. I scored 3 goals.

• After the match, I felt dirty. I sweated a lot and stinked.
• Jason: Is there a place where we can have a shower in the school?
• Hakan: No there isn't. Actually,shower is not for Turkish people. We
prefer bath.
• Tamer: Hey let’s go to Turkish Bath. You know there is one in
Mudanya.
• Jason: Aren’t we supposed to help girls?
• Murat: Let them work. We must refresh ourselves. We can’t go
there. We smell horrible.
• Jason. You are right. Murat.
• Enes: So let’s go.

• Turkish bath is such a experience that all humanbeings
should try. The Turkish bath starts with relaxation in a room
(known as the warm room) that is heated by a continuous
flow of hot, dry air, allowing the bather to perspire freely.
Bathers may then move to an even hotter room (known as
the hot room) before they wash in cold water. After
performing a full body wash and receiving a massage,
bathers finally retire to the cooling-room for a period of
relaxation.

• After the Turkish bath we were all smiling. I relaxed and was
feeling great. Really great.
• When we got school, the girls were waiting for us.
• Aleyna: Where have you been? We need your help!!
• The event started. My friends sang some traditional songs. I
liked ‘Bir Başkadır Benim Memleketim’ (My country is
different from others) and ‘Bursa’nın Ufak Tefek Taşları’
(small and little stones of Bursa). They danced some
traditional dances. I danced with them, too. They also
prepared some traditional food for me. I enjoyed a lot.

OTHER TEACHERS AND OPEN BUFFET
TRADITIONAL MEALS

• After the event, my friends walked with me to Montania
Hotel. During the day I couldn’t find chance to talk to Ezgi.
On the way, I knew it was my last chance.
• Jason: Ezgi, you know this is my last day in Turkey. I don’t
know how to say. I am not good at talking.
• Ezgi: I don’t undestand you.
• Jason. I love you, Ezgi. I love you from the minute I saw you.
You don’t have to say anything. I just want you to know.
• She didn’t say anything. She just looked in my eyes and
smiled.

• I didn’t understand the meaning of that look. I
can’t say that it is ‘Yes I love you, too’. But it is not
‘Sorry I don’t love you’, either. So I have a hope
and I want to cling that hope. She gave me her
phone number and her mail address. We promised
to keep in touch. I am flying to Poland tomorrow
with very good memories and hopes.
TO BE CONTINUED…

24th December (K. Migdal)
It was sad leaving my Turkish friends, especially Ezgi, but at the same time I was looking forward to meet with
my friends in Poland. The flight took only 2 hours, so I was in Warsaw at 3 p.m. My friend, Krystian and his
sister Ania promised to pick me up from the airport. They live in Warsaw, the capital of Poland but they both
study in ZSA in Klementowice (Krystian is one of the etwinners).
I knew that today it was Christmas Eve in Poland, extremely traditional day which Poles spend with family so I
was sure that Krystian would make me feel like home this night. Warsaw is a very modern, big and lively city.
People at the streets were rushing from shop to shop to buy last presents. Everybody was in a hurry. We took a
taxi and went to Krystian`s house. He lives in the suburbs, in a very quiet and green area. I think Polish don`t
like city centres because there are so many newly-built houses in the close proximity to the city.
First thing I had to do when I came into his house was taking off my shoes, it`s like in Turkey. Krystian`s mother
and father are so loving, they gave me kisses and wanted to give me some food but I knew that most Polish
families don`t eat in this day until Christmas supper, so I decided to wait , relax and got fresh.
The table has been already set. There were 12 dishes on the table: some types of fish, cabbage, poppy with
pasta, beetroot soup with dumplings, kutia, susz and what`s important no meat. Before we started eating
Krystian`s father read a part of the Bible about Jesus` birth and then we shared the wafer and made wishes.
According to the Christians tradition you have to try all dishes to stay healthy. There`s also one extra plate
which symbolizes Jesus or a lonely person who can come in to your house this night. I had many questions
about the Christmas tradition in Poland. The grandmother answered my questions and showed me a photo
album with the photos of her teenage time. We were laughing while watching it. I also told them about my
family in London and Turkish friends. After supper we cleaned the table together and Krystian and his family
were singing Christmas carols – I loved listening to them! We even sang “Silent night”. Suddenly, Ania shouted:
Hey, I`ve heard something I guess the angel brought us some presents! Have you heard any noise?
We rushed to the Christmas tree and of course under it there were a lot of presents! Everybody got something,
even I! I got a guide book and a photo album of Poland. It will be helpful in my trip around this country.
Eating, singing, unwrapping presents made me feel very tired so when Krystian suggested me going to the
Church at the Mass at midnight I said: “No”. All family, except the grandmother, went to the mass but I decided
to go to bed. She prepared some tea for me and we were listening some carols on the radio. The evening was
so exciting but at the same time tiring. I didn`t know that family is so important for Polish. I knew I had to go to
bed rather early because tomorrow I`m going to sightsee Warsaw.

25th December (Kasia Maciarz)
•We got up at 7:00, then went down for breakfast, we ate delicious Polish pancakes with
strawberry jam and white cheese with cynamone. Later we went to visit The Warsaw Old Town-it
is the oldest part of the Capital City. The Old Town was established in the 13th century. Initially
surrounded by an earthwork rampart, prior to 1339 it was fortified with brick City Walls. The
town originally grew up around the castle of the Dukes of Mazovia that later became the Royal
Castle. We visited also- Warsaw ’s New Town- it is a neighbourhood dating from the 15th century.
It lies just north of the Old Town and is connected to it by ulica Freta, which begins at the
Barbican. Like the Old Town, the New Town was destroyed by the Nazis during World War II and
rebuilt after the war. The Old Town is full of spectacular monuments, amazing buildings and nice
cafes.
After a few hours we went for lunch at the restaurant “The gigants”. We ate Royal broth and Duck
Polish and for dessert pumpkin cheesecake. We were in Department of Economics, University of
Warsaw - Faculty of the University of Warsaw , educating in the fields of economics and computer
science in modes of day, evening and weekend . Faculty also conducts doctoral studies and
postgraduate studies.
Also we went to-All Saints Church is a Roman Catholic church located at in Warsaw, the seat of
the parish of All Saints in Warsaw.
We went to the zoo which was very funny, One monkey almost bit me, I got a little scared but I
was calmed down by a security guard. After the zoo we went to the National Stadium where
there is a huge ice rink. We were skating almost to the late night.
About 9.00p.m we went back to the hotel for dinner, we ate a delicious fruit salad.
It was a wonderful day. I am very tired, I have to go to bed now.

26th December (Karolina)
•We woke up at 7:00am and we went to breakfast. We ate cream cheese. Later we
went shopping at the mall "'Arkadia ". We've been in many stores and I liked their
design. I bought the jeans and two shirts. In one of the shops we had a little problem.
A cashier forgot to remove the Alarm Tag and the alarm started. We felt strangely.
Krystian brought me to the Café where we met the rest etwinners. I couldn`t wait for
this meeting. I only knew them via the skype and mails. They are as nice as I thought,
so talkative, polite, confident, easy –going. When we were talking Krystian, Marcin and
Julka were all the time laughing. It was great. Mrs. Migdal told us that we're going to
the sea today – it was a surprise because everybody thought we`re going to the hotel
after shopping!. We were happy. We packed up and at 10. 30 am we were ready for
the road.
•While going to the Baltic Sea we were driving through Mazury – which is a region of
Poland, full of lakes, forests, animals, fresh air, tasty food, beautiful, traditional hotels.
Krystian was hungry so we went to eat something. Mazury is famous from fish so we
ordered dofferent types of fish dishes. It was delicious. We were so full!!! Next time, I
want to spend more time in Mazury.
We arrived to Gdańsk, the biggest city by the the Baltic Sea, and to checked in you
the hotel ' 'Hilton ''. Later we went to the Old Town and we were in a Column of
Poseidon. We went even to the harbor and sailed to the Westerplatte – a place
where the II World War began. I liked it. Gdańsk by night…it`s unforgettable
experience. My friends learn me a Polish song “Szła dzieweczka do laseczka”- I can`t
stop singing it!!!
We returned to the hotel at 10.00 p.m.. We were all so tired that quickly we went to
sleep. It was a super day.

27th December (Natalia)
•The next day I found myself in Sopot- a touristic resort, connected to Gdańsk . It was
noon, when I reached the place. This city is very beautiful. When I saw this place I fell
in love with it. Beautiful beaches, sun, wind in your hair and the pier, after which I
walked 2 hours! Sopot is a seaside resort spa town. The city has Europe's longest
wooden pier. In the Gulf of Gdansk it is an opportunity to learn windsurfing. I learned
this from Michael, whom I met on the pier. He became interested in my origins. We
started the conversation.
Michael: What are you doing in Poland?
Jason: I went on a trip.
Michael: And how do you like Sopot?
Jason: I am here only a few hours, but it's a really beautiful city.
Michael: And would you like to learn windsurfing?
Jason: Sure, do you not know where I can sign up to learn?
Michael: It just so happens that I am an instructor and I can teach you. Come with me.
I had a great time that day, I became friends with Michael. The boy showed me around
the city. He showed me the various monuments, among others, the lighthouse, the
church of St. George and many others. I'm glad I learned a lot about Gdansk and I am
glad that I went there. As a result, I met my new friend - Michael. I was sorry, that
same day I had to leave already Gdańsk. Before leaving, I met again with Michael.
Jason: It was nice to meet you.
Michael: I hope that I'll meet again. Let me know when you want to visit again Sopot.
Jason: Of course, unfortunately I have to go. See you!
Michael: See you later.
After we exchanged numbers I had to go. The last time I said goodbye to Michael and
got into the car.
•Tomorrow, I go south of Poland to Kraków.

28th December (Julka)
We flew to Krakow by plane at about 9 a.m. First we went to breakfast at the
restaurant on the main square. After a delicious breakfast we went to visit
Square and Church Mariacki. When the clock struck 12 we heard a man
playing the trumpet "bugle call Mary" on the church tower. After hearing
the bugle call we decided buying some souvenirs and we went to the
Wawel Castle and toured the cathedral, castle, museum. I learned a lot
about the history of Krakow, for example: that it was the second capital of
the Polish kings, or the dragon Wawel, castle Wawel or that its history
goes back to the first Polish kings. The last point of the trip was a visit to
the Barbican- the wall surrounded the city and we walked along the
Vistual river. Late in the evening we went to the hotel for a dinner. I found
out that Kraków`s history goes back very old times. It`s a city that never
sleeps. There are many students at the street, a lot of street artists, the
buskers.
I have to go to the bus immediately because we`re going to Klementowice, I
know a lot about them because this is a place of living of my etwinning
friends.

29th December (Justyna)
We came to Klementowice at late evening. We went to sleep in boarding
school.
At 8.00 a.m we went to breakfast. Next to school at 8.30 a.m. My friends were
in the lesson so I was sightseeing the school with English teacher, Mrs.
Migdal
Later we visited classes. Students are very nice welcome me and tell me
about school. I met students from Ukraine who arrived to school to learn.
Atmosphere in school was very nice because people from school was
friendly and helpful. At 12.00 a.m I went to the boarding school for lunch.
Later at 12.30 a.m I came back to school, because students invited me for
dance lessons. At 15.00 a.m together with students we visited
Klementowice. First we went to Church St. Klemens and Malgorzata and
drank some tea with a priest, Tomasz. He`s an artist, he showed us his
paintings and sculptures. Next we went to the cemetery. We came back to
boarding school. Students were watching films about Klementowice and
the film about school. Later, students told me about internationals
schools.
Later we went for dinner and go to my room. In the late afternoon we went to
the school gym to play volleyball. I have to admit that Klementovia
Volleyball Club is a very professional ones. They got many gold medals.

30th December (Monika)
It was a very tough day. Immediately after dinner I went to sleep. I woke up at 6:30 am I was very
excited about today's trip to one of the largest Polish cities - Lublin. After eating breakfast, we
headed to the train station. There were a lot of people. Everyone was pushing. In total, it is not
surprising, because people were rushing to New Year`s Eve party. Luckily we had already bought the
tickets, so easily walked to the train. After 20minutes, we were already in place. The first place that
we decided to visit was a castle. It was beautiful. We got just in time for the carolers. These are
people dressed in white dresses ,, '' with wings, like angels. Again ,, I heard the Christmas carol
Silent Night ''. I loved it. Then we went to the Old City. Very picturesque. Going, We ate cebularze. It
is a typical salty cake with sliced onions, sprinkled with poppy seeds. It was delicious! But we all
smelled with onions!!! I decided it was time for something sweet, so Krystian suggested that we
went to the candy factory. It was a brilliant idea. For the first time in my life I saw how to make
lollipops and candy. Although it is the smallest plant of sweets, I did not feel it. Everything seemed
so big! Magic place. I am happy to go back. Lollipops, which they did, they were delicious.
Unfortunately, it was evening. Time to go, which is a pity. When we came back, Krystian fell into
shock. Next to the Souvenirs Robert Lewandowski with his beautiful wife Anne were standing.
(Robert is a Polish player but he`s also very popular in England). Without hesitation, we ran to
them, asking for a souvenir photo. I took out my phone and we took ,, selfie ". Everyone laughed at
me because I was so happy to meet Robert that I cried. Then, a beautiful girlfriend came and asked
if I'm okay. I replied that I did not.
- What is your name? - She asked
- Jason - I replied with a smile - and you?
- Lena - smiled back - I'm sorry, but I do not have much time. I have to go back. It was nice to meet
you.
- Thank you – I said and I still remember her beautiful dark eyes. I think Polish girls are so beautiful.
At 9 p.m we were already in Klementowice. We had dinner and went to our rooms. I'll never forget
that day, it was fantastic. With great desire to come back here.

30th (Marcin)
Today I woke up at 5 a.m. I had time only for breakfast and fast shower,
because at 6 a.m. I and Krystian had a flight to Zakopane. Marcin was
waiting there for us (he said the rest of etwinners would come tomorrow
with Mrs. Migdal. Marcin has a second house in Zakopane, he uses it for
holidays. First we came to eat something because I was hungry. We came
to Polish restaurant and he told me he would order special Polish dish for
me. It was barszcz. It`s soup made with beets. It wasn't the best dish I ate
in Poland, but It was ok. After that we decided to go to buy some
souvenirs. There was a big square with many stalls. There was music band
who played polish folk music. I really enjoyed it. When I bought some
souvenirs we went for a walk in Tatry Mountains. We thought it wouldn't
be such a long walk, but we got lost somewhere in mountains. Fortunately
Marcin's got mobile phone and he called for help. Rescue services found
us very fast and took us to the shelter. We were very hungry, because we
got lost for 7 hours, but food in this shelter wasn't very bad. After dinner
we came back to Marcin's home and we went to sleep because we were
very tired. I promised not to tell about our adventure to the teacher. She
probably won`t like it. Just before 10 p.m we went to the ski slope to ski
for a while. From the mountain slope we saw lights of Zakopane – it has an
amazing atmosphere. We heard the local music coming from the nearby
restaurant.

31th (Krystian)
The next day I woke up at 6 o clock dressed and ate a piece of oscypek – a traditional
sheep cheese made by local highlanders. It has a very strong taste, I preferred the
smoked ones. My etwinners were waiting for me with a song sang in the Polish
mountains – strange music, but nice words. After breakfast we went to a travel
agency in the Tatra Mountains. The tour guide gave us a guidebook and sent us
into the unknown. After the first few kilometers I noticed a stream that flows from
the mountains and falls into Vistula River which later flows straight into the Baltic
Sea. I was very interested place, I could not take my eyes from the beautiful
nature. At the same time I was a little afraid because it was becoming dark and
New Year`s party should start soon, but my etwinning friends didn`t mention
anything about the party. I didn`t ask them either because I didn`t want to be
rude. I thought that maybe they don`t celebrate it. After an hour of walking with a
guidebook we noticed the highlanders who kept New Year's Eve Celebration. They
saw us and started to wave. It was next surprise – we were going to celebrate New
Year`s Eve in the mountains!!!! Nothing could be better.!! They began to invite us
to party with. We were survived and happy. They gave us to eat and drink their
traditional food, sang us songs and the r roasted some meat. The food was so
tasty, home- made and local!. Great! We were eating, talking, dancing and singing
till at 00:00 At 00,00 up the fireworks to welcome the new year and say goodbye
to the old. Then the horses and carriages came and they came back to the hotel
and went to sleep because I was so tired, it was around 5.00 in the morning.
Tomorrow we`ll be in Klementowice, in the school again.

1st January (Dominika)
Today is the last day in Poland. I'm so sad, because I really like this beautiful country and the people who
live here. I woke up at 10:00 am so I'm rested. I ate a tasty breakfast and went to school with my
friends. Mrs. Migdal told me what we'll do. I was very happy. It turned out that we will have a sleigh
ride. We began to prepare. About 13.00 all was ready. I was very excited because I've never taken
part in sleigh ride. I admit that even I was a little scared. Finally we took off, it wasn't terrible. My
friends and I had a great time. We looked like funny snowmen, because many times we fell and we
were in the snow. We came back after 3 hours and all of us went to get changed. I was very hungry
and I was invited to a farewell party, I didn`t know about it at all!. Polish students organized a
bonfire with sausages. Quickly I started to eat, but I noticed that Marcin was very sad. I asked:
-What happened?
-My sausage is burned and now I have to wait for the second.- said Marcin
I was very pity of him because he was hungry too, so I had an idea:
-Do you want a piece of my food?
-Oh yes...! Thank you! What would I do without you?- Marcin was pleased.
Everyone was happy. Then we were given hot tea, it was a good idea because that day was very cold.
Later me and my friends were talking a lot. It was really cool and sometimes funny. We mentioned
all of our adventures. Next Krystian brought a guitar and beautifully played a few songs. I didn't
know the text of all of them but I tried to sing. Then it's time to say goodbye. I was both sad and
smiling, because I could meet some great people and experience an unforgettable adventure. We
all were smiling, although I know that they felt like me. I packed up and when I went to the car they
all started waving to me and shouted:
-See you Jason, we will miss you!
I got into the car and drove with Mrs. Migdal to her home, because tomorrow she will drive me to the
airport.

2nd January(K. Migdal)
I was really sad yesterday, I just missed them, my friends …but Mrs. Migdal
knew it and she decided to take me to her house for the last night. I met
her two lovely daughters and a husband. Agata, the older one spoke a
little English with me and Marcelina danced around the house and sang
English songs!! It turned out that they prepared sushi for me! I`m not a
fan of that food, but it was really tasty, the girls were eating it with sticks.
Mrs. Migdal showed me around her house and her garden, I could play
with her dog (I miss my puppy). At the end of the day when Agata and
Marcelina were in beds I read them some fairy tales. Both of them chose
different fairies and I had to read two stories! The wanted to play hide-
and-seek but their mum forbade them.
Mrs. Migdal and her daughter took me to the airport, to Warsaw, it was hard
to say goodbye but I`m waiting for the new adventures.
I`m writing it on the plane, I`m flying to Slovakia now. The trip shouldn`t be
long. I`m a little worried. What will happen there? Who will I meet? I know
for sure, all etwinners, from all countries are really great.

Jason´s diary and trip in
SLOVAKIA

^^Dear Diary
,
I am going to Slovakia right now. I am very
excited. Slovakia is a very beautiful country
and looking forward to exploring it. I am not
going to keep my diary in Slovakia. Do you
wonder why? Because I wanted my friends in
Slovakia to keep it for me. They are going to
write about my days in Slovakia. So I am not
the narrator. I am going to add the parts they
write in my diary later.I think it will be fun:) ^^

2nd January 2016 (PETRA)
Me and my friend are looking forward to our new guest JASON. It is only 2nd
day of the new year 2016, everyone is at home with family and fresh weather
is around. It's here! Jason first came to Slovakia. First time he flew into our
capital city Bratislava. At the airport we were waiting for him holding a post
with the words WELCOME JASON. He was very happy when he saw us. We met
and immediately found common sympathy and went out of the airport hall.
Jason was very hungry after a hard and tiring journey, so we took him to a
representative typice Slovak restaurant. It's the best restaurant in Bratislava.
Jason was interested in our country and had a lot of questions concerning our
history and present time. After rating and having a rest we decided to take him
to a Bratislava catholic church located in the city center and after the durch we
visited our famous Bratislava Castle, a seat of our president. Jason was
impressed when he saw a wonderful view from this castle. He has made a lot
of photos. Jason needed to buy some warm clothes, because suddenly it was
colder. We went to the shopping centre Eurovea. He liked it very much there.
When we went out we and Jason saw our teacher Mrs. Stredakova as she was
walking with her lovely family on the Danube Promenade. We called her and
introduced Jason.

• Mrs. Stredakova: Hallo, Jason, welcome in our country and among us, your
new Slovak friends.
• Jason: I am glad to know you, I have heard a lot about you, so i tis nice to
meet you just the first day in your country. How are you?
• Mrs. Stredakova: I am just on my holiday at my son´s family but all our
students will také care of you, be sure you are happy, satisfied and excited.
They have prepared a great trip around our country, across our regions from
west to east. You will see not only history, but also traditions, folklor,
events, mountains and our delicious food.
• Jason: Oh, I am looking forward to it so much, you don´t know imagine, I am
only few hours here but I saw some new things and tried a tasty food just
now. Thank you.
• Mrs. Stredakova: I will be in contact with you through my students some
days, so great days, enjoy your trip in our country and good luck all the
time. Have a nice day.
• Jason: Thank you and nice days with your lovely twins. Bye, bye.
• He saw our capitol, some monuments here, we were walking along Danube
River and he loved our trams ringit at each station in this clear, sunny but
cold day. First day he really liked and enjoyed and tomorrow will make him
a company my schoolmate Kristinka in the next region. On our way from
Bratislava Jason travelled with us by a train and his first night and sweet
dreams were in the next region.

3rd January 2016 (KRISTINKA)
On the 3th day we welcomed Jason in our another city called Trnava. Actually
a lot of people use to say that this city is Slovak Roma because of the many
churches.We waited for him at the railway station. We were really happy that
we could show him our cultural monuments, exhibitions and other interesting
things we have in this city. First, we took him to show him a few churches and
cathedrals which are really beautiful. We told him something about the
history of Trnava. He said that he likes this town. Then the most amazing
thing what he loved was when we took him on the top of the City Tower. He
said that the view was incredible and he never saw anything like that.
Unfortunately, we had to leave this town and went to another city called
Trenčín. But this city was also as beautiful as Trnava. We showed him an
amazing Trenčín Castle which was the best we could do. He was really
surprised by the beauty. We spended all today together and we had fun.
Thankfully we enjoyd this day because the sunny was shinning and we were
excited that we could know an amazing person like Jason. We have visited also
my mother´s sister who has prepared an apple cake and hot ginger tea. It was
so cute after cold and long day.

4th January 2016 (ZUZKA)
Fourth January Jason traveled to Nitra region. In this region there are many
adventures. Morning he was travelling by train again and stayed in Nitra. The region
provides a very good opportunity for cycling, so the next morning Jason and his
friends (thank the weather was fine, no snow and a little bit of sun ) sat on the bikes
and later a few cultural monuments along cycle paths. First they visited the ancient
churches as Dražovce, Kostoľany pod Tribečom. These churches didn´t interested
them very much and so went on. Because churches are not of interest to them, they
visited a few castles. Nearby castles on their way were Topoľčany Beladice. Mansions
seem to me also boring. They wanted to experience something really extraordinary.
Before a big adventure will take the chance to have lunch and strengthen good
dessert. They went to a nearby hut and ordered the classics Slovak sheep cheese
dumplings with sour cream. Gnocchi tasted them and Jason was very happy that tried
Slovak true delicacy. Jason and his friends put away bicycles to hotel and boarded the
first train. Speakers in Patince and started looking for a wellness hotel in Patince. They
bought a three-hour entrance and went to wear a bathing suit. When Jason saw giant
slides, immediately ran to him. Everyone at the swimming pool excellent careen.
Evening decided to go have fun at the disco in Komarno. There I met Jason and
amazingly we had together fun. He recounts all the things experienced in our Nitra
region.

5th January 2016 (ALŽBETKA)
In the morning Jason came to Prievidza by the train. We welcomed him with
salt and a bread. Then we took him to a hotel where he could unpack. After
unpacking we went to show him local sights. We took him to the Zoo in
Bojnice and after visiting the Zoo, we went to a restaurant for lunch. Our
traditional food tasted him very much. He was happy. After a great lunch and
a beer that tasted him too much he went to his hotel to have a rest a bit
tonight and surprise awaited him. We had him preparatory few attractions
that could Prievidza with us during your stay visible. I saw a very interesting
places.I was in church most sacred trinity townhouse in Hornonitrianske
museum but I am most interested in Galeria da Vinci. It was a very beautiful
gallery one of the nicest I have seen. This city has attracted a very beautiful
here. There is also a room and people here are very friendly. This place is a
cone especially for monuments. I am so glad I got to know another piece of
the small country of Slovakia. So far I am very excited about my travels
Slovakia. I am looking forward to more experiences. In the mening Mrs.
Stredakova was calling Jason and Theky made a short speech but Jason was
glad to describe her all he experienced.

6th January 2016 (REBECCA)
Jason welcome in Banska Bystrica, metropolis of central
Slovakia. Here we found the most beautiful square there
in the middle of which is a popular stone fountain. The
most interesting monument is Barbakan- building castle
surrounded by a city with a tower with three bells.Not
bad also visit the town hall, which had previously
belonged to a rich burgher. But not beautiful? Last stop
was in Hronsek, where there is a wooden church. Is
among the most famous buildings in Slovakia. Good Luck
and enjoy the journey in discovering more beauties of
Slovakia, these picture are my memories of all these.

7th January 2016 (PEŤKA)
Jason travelled by the train to Zilina. We met with him at
the railway station. We wanted to show him how Slovak
Mass is. We went to Mass in the Farsky Church at eight
o´clock in the morning. This Church is very old and nice.
After Mass we will go to Hlinka and Marianske squares.
There are fountains, statues and many other monuments.
Now, it is lunchtime. We will have a lunch, we order a
pizza. Later, we go to the shopping centres. We have
bought some souvenirs. We take him to the Cinda at the
good English movie in MIRAGE center. We led him to the
station and said Goodbye.

8th January 2016 (MONIKA)
January 8th at eight in the morning Jason visited us. He came
to our school and our role was to show him all our school. We
magnificently welcomed him at our reception. Then we took
him to the top floor of the building directly to the director of
our school. Mrs Milčevova, our director, was very enthusiastic
about his visit so she welcomed him with a pleasure. Directly
from the principal's office we went to teacher´s room and Jason
was introduced to all professors. Later we visited the second
building and introduced him the next professors there. For
lunch we took him into our dinning room where he met our
students. In the afternoon we introduced him to our students
as they prepared coffee, mixed drinks and meals in a training
kitchen. Before Jason leaft we played volleybal with him and
then we said googbye to him warmly. He was really enthusiastic
and loved our typical Slovak hospitality and heartiness .

9th January 2016 (MONIKA J.)
The next day , Jason was visiting an interesting city in Slovakia, Poprad. We
were waiting for him at a bus stop in Poprad. We have prepared him many
great trips. Poprad is our most beautiful natural resort. All of us went hiking in
the High Tatras, we have exported transport, which is called ,,Rudas". Jason
was very impressed. He made a few shots of our nature. We decided to go
skiing. We have borrowed necessary equipment and we could skii. It was
great! After skiing, we showed him our most beautiful Strbske Pleso , but it
was not all. We presented him one place. It was the Ice Home." We have
heard a short koncert in it. He was hungry , so we went to ta restaurant in the
hotel. Jason tried some traditional Slovak meals and drinks. We talked a long
time, because he had a lot of questions to us. However, he said he will never
forget this day. He also wanted to learn about our country more and more. So
we have invited him to another place, Prešov. When we talked to him how
there is a wonderful environment he could not wait to be there. As soon as
we arrived we visited Rákocziho Palace. Then we went through a square
where we stopped at the Neptune Fountain. Finally, we enjoyed a Municipal
rink where we could skate. In the end Jason thanked us and said he will
never forget these days.

10th January 2016 (ANDREJKA)
• Today, I was really excited because my next stop was Banská Štiavnica. Days ago I
started to write with Katka. She said that she lives in Banská Štiavnica. I called her
and told her about my journey. Katka was really happy to hear that. We agreed to
meet in town. I came a little late because I couldn’t find a way to town. But one
lady helped me.
• Katka: Hi Jason. It’s nice to meet you.
• Jason: Hello. It’s nice to meet you too.
• Katka: So. How’s your journey? And where do you want to go next?
• Jason: This journey is wonderful. I can tell you, but I am hungry. Is there a
restaurant anywhere?
• Katka: Of course. Let’s go for eating.
• Katka took me to the nearest restaurant. The food here was good. I talked with
Katka so much that I forgot to write the name of the food in my diary. I told Katka
what I know about Banská Štiavnica and she was surprised. Her dad works at the
famous mint. She called him if we could come. He agreed, so we pay and leaved. I
was speechless. It was really cool. At the end Katka give me one coin as a memory.
We took a photo together and I promise her that I tell her everything about my
journey.
• Jason: Thank you very much for today.

Katka: You’re welcome. Next time you need to stay
longer, okay? And don’t forget to send me photos
from your trip. You can also create an online blog.
Jason: I will think about it. Well, I must go now.
Katka: Be careful on your way. Bye. Excuse me I
have a call, my classroom teacher is calling,
er…….yes, of course…. Jason she would like to talk
with you.
Jason is speaking and expressing all his
experiences and wish to return back one day.
Katka: Jason, so we will leave you, have a nice time
and give us some words by email, OK? The best to
you, great journey back. Goodbye.
Jason: Goodbye, my friends, my Slovak new
friends.

11th Jan uary 2016 (TERKA)
In the end of Jasons trip he went to heart of European culture. We took him to Košice
but no only here, we were also discovering beauties of nature with Jason.
In the morning when we met:
„Hi Jason, are you excited?“
„ Yes, Your country is so beautyful.“
„ Yes it is, is not it? I love it here, but you must see it too, so lets go!“
At first we were in historical centre of town. The historic core of the town makes the
largest monuments reservation in Slovakia. There we saw St. Elizabeth's Cathedral,
St. Michal's Chapel, St. Urban's tower and many other monuments which historical
centre of Košice is hiding.
We were walking around the city crisscross, we laughed a lot and we took a lot of
photos. Our first day in Košice we completed with a good dinner in a small
restaurant on the corner.
„ What do you think about this day Jason? Do you like it?“

„Yes, I really like this place. It is so amazing to see everything this
monuments, but in fact I am quite tired.“
„ Me too, I have an idea let's relax and tomorrow we will continue
our journey.“
„ Okay, see you tommorow.“
Our second day in Košice was very funny and interesting. We
invited our firend from Košice, he gave his car and we were ready
to go. We visited especially caves, Ochtinská aragonitová jaskyňa
was our first stop, this cave is only in Europe. Than we went to
Jasovská cave, Domica, Gombasecká cave and Dobšinská ice cave.
We have finised this day in Kavečany, there is small zoo. We were
crazy with animals, and attraction in this zoo.
Third day was a little sad, because Jason was travelling to his country.
We escorted him to the airport, we ate some lunch and than he
left us. We are happy that we could meet Jason and we have
agreed that nexttime we will come to him.
One day we meet again. Nice journey to Croatia and back to your
country, all the best.

Jason´s leaving
We were glad to welcome you in
our country and thank you for
coming and feeling well here.

13th January (Tea & Stela)
On the plane again… I’ve collected quite a lot of miles
in the last month or so. It’s getting a bit expensive,
but I don’t want to lose much of my time. It was
important for me to meet all of my eTwinning
friends. After Croatia I might slower down and take
interrail pass for Austria or Germany… When I get to
Ploče, I’ll look it up on the Internet. Anyway, I
haven’t decided where to go next…

The nearest airport to Ploče, the town where my
eTwinning friends live, is in Dubrovnik. Mrs
Bojanović arranged for Tea, Stela and Magdalena to
wait for me and be my guides during my first two
days in Croatia. Then we will meet with the others
in Ploče. I noticed they have these letters – ć and č –
I wonder how they pronounce them…
Oh it’s great I got a seat near the window – the view is
breath taking! Look at those islands! We’re landing
– we’re already in Dubrovnik?!

My dear diary, it’s late in the evening, and I’m really
exhausted. The girls waited for me at the airport
and we took a shuttle bus to the town of Dubrovnik.
On the bus they explained to me that people often
refer to Dubrovnik as “Grad” (meaning the town in
Croatian), especially because they pronounce it a
bit differently in Dubrovnik. I asked them about
Croatian language and the pronunciation – well, for
every sound they have a letter. Ć and Č are
something like CH in “change”, with the difference
in softness. Ć is soft and Č is hard. It sounds a bit
funny when they explain it…

Our first destination was the Old Town of Dubrovnik.
When you enter the Pile Gates, there you see
Stradun - the main street of Dubrovnik. The street
runs some 300 metres through the Old Town, the
historic part of the city surrounded by the Walls of
Dubrovnik. In recent times, Stradun and some of
the surrounding houses were damaged in mortar
shelling during the Siege of Dubrovnik in
1991/1992, but most of the damage has been
repaired since.

I needed some time to enjoy the view, so the girls
suggested going for a coffee. We sat on a terrace of
a coffee shop – luckily it was a sunny day and it was
pretty warm for this part of the year. I asked the
girls about this siege, and they told me a bit about
the war in Croatia in the early 90s. Stradun was
always famous for numerous pigeons, and during
that period they were all gone from Dubrovnik.
Now they are back and looking so funny flying in
flocks around the square.

And the coffee… It was the most expensive coffee I
have ever drunk, but I guess it was worth it because
of the historical and cultural meaning of this old
town. The girls didn’t let me pay, since I was their
guest. It is usual that the one who invites for a
coffee, he is going to pay the bill.

After Stradun we went to some other locations like
Walls of Dubrovnik and Rector’s Palace.

The Walls of Dubrovnik are a series of defensive stone
walls that have surrounded and protected the
citizens of the afterward proclaimed maritime city-
state of Dubrovnik (Ragusa). Dubrovnik used to be a
Republic and it was independent. Later it became a
part of Croatia.

So, Rector’s Palace is a place in the city of Dubrovnik
that used to serve as the seat of the Rector of the
Republic of Ragusa. The Rector’s Palace was built in
Gothic style, but it also has Renaissance and
Baroque elements, harmoniously combining these
elements. Interestingly, when the south wind was
blowing (they call it “Jugo”, as “jug” is south in
Croatian), it was prohibited for the senate to have a
meeting and no important decisions were to be
made. They say it’s a hard wind, when everyone
feels a bit under the weather.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have a lot of time to visit
more locations, it was getting dark, so we went to
dinner. They know I like trying different food – so
we went to a local restaurant and the girls ordered
for me “Šporki makaruli” (dirty macaroni) and
“Fritule” for dessert.
Now we are at Tea’s aunt, she has a huge house,
which she rents in summer. She was really kind and
offered us to stay at her place. Tomorrow we’ll
continue our sightseeing of Dubrovnik and travel to
Ploče by bus – that will be an adventure!

14th January (Magdalena)
We were all woken up by the smell of pancakes.
Magdalena got up first and made us some pancakes
and cocoa. They say the breakfast is the most
important meal of the day, and I couldn’t agree
more with them. :D

After breakfast, they suggested going to Srđ, a
mountain just behind the walled city of Dubrovnik.
Its height is 412 metres, the top of which is adorned
with “Fort Imperial”. From its top, the walled city of
Dubrovnik, Island Lokrum, Adriatic Sea and various
local attractions can be seen. The view was
spectacular and they told me more about the
geography of Croatia. It is called the land of a
thousand of islands because it has 1244 islands,
islets and rocks in the sea.

Srđ was covered before with pine forests, and they
used to call a forest “dubrava” in Croatian – so
that’s how Dubrovnik got its name. Nowadays, they
are planning to make golf courses on Srđ – local
people are totally against it. I guess it would be pity
to lose such a piece of nature.

There’s a cable car and we took a ride back down and
looked for a coffee shop to have a coffee. The girls
ordered some tea and juice and I was wondering
why they suggested going for a coffee, and ordering
something else. They just laughed and explained
that coffee is not just a drink, it is a social event for
Croatians and it has a significant role.
Someone once said: “Croatians love coffee, but more
than that, coffee in Croatia is where everything gets
done.

It’s where friends meet, where deals are made, it’s
how favours are asked, it’s how people are hired,
fired, introduced, married, divorced, everything.
Everything involves coffee.“ Also, when they say
“Let’s go for a coffee…” or invite you “Why don’t
you come for a coffee?”, it doesn’t necessarily mean
that they are going to drink coffee, but meet and
socialise.

This was the end of my visit to Dubrovnik and I’m
really glad that I visited it. I didn’t expect so many
beauties. I’m really thankful to Croatian team, they
were a really good company through my trip in
Dubrovnik. Now we’re on the bus to Ploče, Mrs
Bojanović is waiting for us at the bus station.
The bus ride will take us for about two hours,
depending on the customs… Can you imagine?! On
our way to Ploče we’ll pass the borders with Bosnia
and Herzegovina. Dubrovnik region is actually
separated from the rest of the Croatian mainland by
this small part of Bosnian and Herzegovinian
seacoast.

The bus wasn’t the cosiest one, but it was fun with
the girls. They are pretty chatty. The bus made a
longer stop near Ston – it’s a small old town on the
peninsula Pelješac. It also has defensive stone walls,
more than 7 kilometres long. They are known as the
“European Wall of China”.  We decided to take
this opportunity and have lunch – we were starting
to get peckish. In a small restaurant on the road we
ordered some mussels – a small shellfish, you open
the black shell and eat the meat inside. You eat with
your hands and you also take some bread and dip it
in the soup. It’s very tasty. However, you’ve got to
be careful – if you eat too many mussels, you could
get sick!

We continued our ride. Soon the girls warned me that
we are near the Neretva valley. As far as I got it, the
river Neretva is very important for them and their
lives. I mean, their families in the past all lived
around and from Neretva. Its source is in Bosnia
and Herzegovina, and the final 22 kilometres of
Neretva are in Neretva-Dubrovnik County in Cro.
Here Neretva builds the wetland delta and spills out
in the Adriatic Sea several kilometres away from
Ploče. atia.

In the 50s of the past century, this was area of
swamps and marshes, full of mosquitos. After
melioration and cultivation, the Neretva Delta was
turned into agricultural area, with lots of fields of
Tangerine trees. The view from the bus reminded
me of lace – so many small fields with water canals
between them, some thin, others wide…

When we arrived in Ploče, it wasn’t just Mrs
Bojanović, it was the whole group waiting for us at
the station. Ploče is a small town, with nearly 7000
people. It is the youngest town – it was set up in the
1950s and started to develop since 1960s rapidly.
However, girls say that recently it just stands,
nothing being opened or changed to better. We
took a walk towards the hotel, the only hotel in
Ploče. It’s small but standing on a beautiful place on
the promenade where you can see the bay around
which Ploče is situated.

After checking into the hotel, they gave me some time
to relax and refresh. I had dinner in the hotel and
went for a night walk around Ploče, just to clear my
mind and put all impressions together… I’m going to
bed now, tomorrow I’m back in school – they’re
taking me to their lessons. Hope I won’t have any
test. ;)

15th January (Marija)
My dear diary, I’m back in school. The school starts at
7,50 and they have seven different lessons today, so
we’re in school till 13,50. Between the lessons they
have a five-minute break, and after the third lesson,
they have a longer break – 20 minutes.

Their class is 3B, and there are 23 students in it. There
are only three boys – and they say they are the
lucky ones. The school isn’t very big – it has three
floors with 4-5 classrooms on every floor. The walls
are painted by students, so you can see many
interesting creations. All the teachers wanted to
know about me, and they also asked me what we
studied at school, which subjects we had. They are
pretty curious, but not rude. They all smile a lot,
and during the breaks they always sing or act
something out.

Ivan, Romana and Dora play the guitar, so whenever
they have an opportunity, let’s say someone’s
birthday, they organise a small party. They play and
sing, and, of course, they eat – Valentina, Anja and
Tea are usually in charge of cakes, especially
cupcakes, their favourite sweets.

In Geography lesson, they study touristic geography
of Europe, so we talked about London and tourism
in England. It’s interesting to see how much they
learn about other countries and their history. In
Maths lesson they were doing percentages and
averages. Oh, so many numbers spinning around. :D
Their head teacher and pedagogy worker came also
to meet me during the English lesson – they were
really interested in our school system. I gave my
best to explain how it works in England.

After school we went to the school restaurant where
the pupils prepared our meal today – a true Neretva
specialty – eel and frogs brodetto. It’s a watery fish
dish and served with polenta. They usually put hot
pepper and garlic to make it spicy and hot, but it
was just right for me to eat it.
After lunch, we made it to Baćina lakes –these are six
connected lakes, two very big and others smaller,
with a long road around all of them

There are several things you can do there – go for a
walk, take a bike and ride around the lakes, take a
lake tour by boat (old boats that were used in this
area for transporting in the past) and recently they
opened paddle surf club. It’s like surfing board, and
you’re standing on it and paddling. You can guess
what I was into! It reminded me immediately of
skate boarding and I wanted to try it.

Although lakes are warmer than the sea, in winter you
have to take a suit, like diving suit, so you don’t get
wet if you fall down and catch a cold. It was
amazing! Magdalena and Anja wanted to try it with
me and soon we were chasing each other along the
lakes. Great fun!
Now I’m back in the hotel, having hot tea and getting
ready to go out. It’s Friday evening and we’ll go to
different coffee shops and have a drink and dance.
Tomorrow we’re going along Neretva to see small
villages where my friends live. They’ve rented a
minibus so we can manage it all tomorrow. Hope
we won’t be too tired

16th January (Romana)
We are going to the land of Neretva, we are on the
bus, singing. They are trying to teach me one of the
“klapa” song – “Ružo moja crvena” (My red rose) –
it’s slow so I’m keeping up with them…
Oh, the day was so busy I couldn’t write the diary. So
I’m back in the hotel now and I’ll try to describe
some of the things we did today.

I am amazed by the weather here. It is very pleasant
and warm, it’s sunny since I came to Croatia. I
would expect it to be a bit colder in winter, but you
don’t even need a scarf.
Riding by the river I was able to see a lot of fields of
grapes, tomatoes, potatoes and the most important
clementines and tangerines.

Tangerine is a symbol of Neretva. There are thousands
of tangerine trees which impressed me. People say
this part reminds of California. Tangerines are very
delicious and refreshing. They export them
throughout the whole Europe and many people live
from this. You could also say that the existence of
many families depends on the crops.

First we visited one village by the Neretva - Rogotin,
where you can see a lot of people dancing Lingo,
traditional dance of their region. They love fishing,
just as other people in Neretva. Mostly they fish
and cook what they catch. Domagoj and Ivana (from
the class 3B) live in Rogotin so they waited for us
and took us for a walk. They were eager to teach
me how to fish, so I gave in and gave it a try. I’m
more into active things, in fishing you need to stand
still, breathe smoothly, but, hey, I was lucky and
caught a mullet! I caught myself “marenda” (it’s a
meal between breakfast and lunch)! 

They helped me make a grill so we prepared the fish
we caught and ate it with some potato salad. It
seems to me, you appreciate it more when you
have to try hard to get your own food.
We continued our journey to Komin where Ivan, Jela
and Nikoleta live (Jela is in my eTwinning project,
and the others are in the class 3B). In this time of
year, it is carnival preparations in Croatia – the big
Carnival events are in the beginning of February,
but they are already preparing their costumes.

In the year 2008 they tried to beat the Guinness
record – almost 400 people from Komin dressed up
as Smurfs, marking in this way 50 years of this
cartoon. In Komin they prepared for us a great
lunch – Peka – it’sa method of baking meat and
vegetables under the lid. They put all the
ingredients under the lid, cover it with live coals,
and let it cook. They showed me some old houses,
nets for fishing and different tools they use ever
since for farming. It’s a nice place and they are all
Torcida – keen followers of the football club Hajduk.

In the afternoon we went to see village Staševica
which is situated on the rid of a huge field full of
vineyards. We only tried the home made grapes
syrup and listened to some old tales of Deans
grandparents. Manuela and Petra taught me to
dance a folklore dance  it was very entertaining. It
was great meeting the whole class 3B, they seem
like very tight friends. Inevitably, we played a
football game with their other friends, who were all
eager to meet me. After the game, it was time for
“užina” (meal between lunch and dinner). They
served us their own made ham, sausages and
cheese. I was full and ready to lay down, but it was
time to go back to Ploče.

I forgot to mention that Ploče has the second largest
sea port in Croatia. It is very important for not only
Croatia, but also Bosnia and Herzegovina and
Hungary, since lots of import and export takes place
over this port. It’s an essential part of Ploče, since it
is the biggest employer in the wider region. I can
see the port from my balcony, it’s really huge. I
know it’s important for the financial side of the life,
but wouldn’t it be nicer if this whole place was just
nature… You have a river, the sea, lakes, hills…
Everything on this small area.

I’m exhausted, need some sleep
because tomorrow we’re off to Split,the centre of
Dalmatia.

SPLIT (Dora) – 17th January
I had a great time in Ploče.At the same time I was sad
and happy because I was leaving Ploče and
travelling to Split. Mrs Bojanović rented a mini bus
for our trip. We took an old road because they
wanted me to see the beauty of Croatian coast. Our
first stop was in Makarska. We took a quick walk on
seafront and continued. Before Split we stopped in
Omiš. Omiš is a small town by river Cetina. From the
town we could see the rivers canyon. It was breath
taking.

At noon we arrived to Split. Split is a very beautiful
city on the Adriatic coast. It is an old city, built
around the Diocletian's Palace, in Central Dalmatia.
First we decided to go for a lunch at the famous fish
restaurant. It's amazing how much Dalmatians love
fish. Usually they drink wine with it. After lunch we
went for a walk on the famous Split's Riva.

At the end of the Riva is the entrance to Diocletian's
palace. Diocletian’s Palace is one of the most
imposing Roman ruins in existence and where you’ll
spend most of your time while in Split. Don’t expect
a palace though, nor a museum – this is the city's
living heart, its labyrinthine streets packed with
people, bars, shops and restaurants.

A military fortress, imperial residence and fortified
town. Each wall has a gate named after a metal: at
the northern end is the Golden Gate, while the
southern end has the Bronze Gate. The eastern gate
is the Silver Gate and to the west is the Iron Gate.
Just beyond the palace walls are two city landmarks
made by sculptor Ivan Meštrović; the medieval
bishop Grgur Ninski guards the Golden Gate and the
literary scholar Marko Marulić watches over Trg
Braće Radić just off Riva.

The Croatian bishop Grgur Ninski fought for the right
to use old Croatian in liturgical services. Sculpted by
Ivan Meštrović, this powerful work is one of the
defining images of Split. I noticed that his left toe
has been polished to a shine and people are
rubbing it, so I asked the girls why are they doing
that. They said that people are rubbing the toe
beacuse the legend says that it brings good luck.

We continued to look around the city. They showed
me some of the most famous Split's landmarks:
Cathedral of st. Duje. (St. Duje is the protector of
Split), Peristil (main square of Diocletian's Palace),
Narodni trg (National square), Prokurative (Split
Music Festival is held there), Temple of Jupiter and
many more.

It's 5 PM and it was a perfect time to visit park
Marjan, a hill above Split. We took a walk, we could
see the whole city from there. The girls had a
surprise for me, they were taking me to a football
game of their favourite club Hajduk. Before the
game we had to go and buy a lot of snacks and girls
bought me a Torcida's fan scarf. According to the
locals, Poljud is home of the best fotball club in the
world. "Hajduk", however, have a special place in
the heart of every citizen from Dalmatia. Supporting
"Hajduk" is a way of life!

You can't imagine the atmosphere on the stadium.
Everyone was singing, cheering, jumping... the vibes
you feel are amazing, the frendship and communion
are unbelievable. The match was so intense, but at
the end Hajduk won. After the match we were all
tired and head back to Dora's apartment, where we
played games, talked and went to sleep.

18th January (Jela)
My dear diary, we left Split early and continued with
our mini bus towards northern parts of Dalmatia.
On our way to Zadar, we passed Šibenik, Lake Vrana,
which is the largest lake in Croatia, and finally came
to Zadar. The girls suggested visiting sights and
beauties of the city with them. Mrs Bojanović
studied in Zadar so she offered to be our guide.

According to the stories, Zadar is mostly known for its
beautiful sunset – according to some the most
beautiful sunset in the world. Alfred Hitchcock
visited Zadar in 1964 and wrote Zadar has the most
beautiful sunset in the world. Hah, we’ll see. It’s still
morning, I have to wait till the evening to check if
the stories are true. 

Again walls! It seems that all these old town had walls
around them for protection. When you enter the
old part of the town, you come soon to the Main
Square. From there you can go for a walk through
small “kala” (passages) or take a long walk along
Kalelarga (long street) towards the Roman Forum.
Next to the Forum there is the Church of St.
Donatus, which I was absolutely impressed with. On
the opposite side of the Forum there is St. Mary’s
church, which belongs to a Benedictine Convent
founded in 1066. In the church we visited the
permanent exhibition “The Gold and Silver of
Zadar”.

When you go outside the walls and the Forum, to the
promenade, you can see the unique Sea organ and
hear the voice of the sea. Namely, they play music
by way of sea waves and tubes underneath large
marble steps. So the sounds depend on the waves
and winds. Great idea to let nature have its voice!

On the other side of the promenade, there is a huge
building – University of Zadar. We had lunch in the
student canteen and then Mrs Bojanović told us,
we’re going to visit one department. It was a
surprise she kept away from us – we’re visiting the
department of ethnology and anthropology!
The workshop they organised for us there was great, I
could learn a lot about cultural heritage, about
importance of linguistics in ethnology. This was a
great experience, and I might apply for Erasmus+
grant, once I start studying, and come here for a
semester.

At the end of the day we went to give greeting to the
sun - that is a round panel that lights with all the
beautiful colours at night. The Greeting to the Sun
consists of three hundred multi-layered glass plates
and they are the way nature communicates with
lights. They are just next to the Sea Organs, so it is a
unique experience to see and hear the play of the
nature. And yes, Zadar has one the most beautiful
sunsets… It’s really beautiful here…

Not to waste our time, and having a lot to
see and do in Zagreb, our next and final stop
in Croatia, we took a night bus ride. We
were all pretty exhausted, full of
impressions, and we quickly fell asleep.

19th January (Valentina & Anja)
Finally, we arrived to Zagreb.Zagreb is capital and the
largest city of Croatia.I heard a lot of great things
about Zagreb,I can’t wait to start exploring it.
The class 3B had some previously arranged visit to a
school in Karlovac, but Anja and Valentina got
permission to be with me and help me around
Zagreb. We’ll meet the other tomorrow morning
again.

First we decided to take a walk by river Sava. There is
a beautiful park along the river where we sat and I
talked about my adventures in Turkey, Poland and
Slovakia. As we sat there we lost track of time and
got hungry so we decided go to local bakery to have
a breakfast. We ate traditional pastries. After
breakfast we took a tram to Upper city. Zagreb's
Upper City is a network of little streets that stretch
between two hills: Kaptol and Gradec. It is a
delightful place to explore and hosts some of
Zagreb's most interesting restaurants, bars and
cafes.

Start in Zagreb's central square, Trg Jelacica, and
walk uphill to Kaptol, stopping at Dolac, the fruit
and vegetable market. A little further is Zagreb's
Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin
Mary whose twin spires are visible from afar. Begun
in the 13th century, it was reconstructed in the 20th
after an earthquake damaged it.

Inside the Cathedral in a glass coffin is displayed a
body of a Croatian saint Alojzije Stepinac who was
tortured and killed. If you’re walking around Upper
City in Zagreb, there’s no chance you will miss this
place. From outside, it looks like a simple passage,
but you might want to stick around a while longer.
I'm talking about Stone gate (Kamenita vrata) the
only remaining gate out of four that once
connected Lower town to a part of Upper town.

In 1242, the Croatian king Bela IV gave Gradec a status
of a free royal city, which automatically made the
Stone gate one of the most important passages in
Zagreb. Yet, the historical aspect of this place isn’t
as important as the spiritual one: today, the Stone
gate serves as a chapel where people take a
moment to light a candle and say their prayers. The
feeling is quite special: in an instant you’re no
longer in the urban rush; instead, you find yourself
in a calm place lighted only by dozens of candles.

The main point of the chapel is the painting of Mary
with baby Jesus, which miraculously survived a fire
in 1731, and is now placed behind a beautiful large
iron grille. Near Stone gate is church of Saint Mark,
Croatian Parliament and the seat of the Croatian
government. We took a quick tour, took some
selfies and moved on to Lower city.

Zagreb's Lower Town is devoted to business, art and
spacious parks. Unlike the Upper City, streets are
mostly wide and airy. I really loved Upper City, I
can't wait to start exploring Lower City. We were
tired so before exploring Lower City we went to our
hotel to rest.
It's 4:00 PM we decided to go out again, I couldn't
wait. In front of our hotel there was tram station so
we got on tram and went on Zagreb's most famous
square, ban Josip Jelačić square.

I really loved the main square, there were shops,
coffee shops, restaurants. On the square there is a
huge statue of ban Josip Jelačić. We sat down at
one of the traditional restaurants and ordered
Zagorske štrukle. They were so delicious so we
order some more. After a meal girls showed me
around square, I bought souvenirs for my family.
Anja and Valentina suggested that we should go
visit some of the famous Zagreb's museums. The
most famous ones are Museum of broken
relationships, Museum Mimara, Museum of
Illusions, Technical museum and Museum of Dražen
Petrović.

Museum of broken relationships is museum dedicated
to failed love relationships. Its exhibits include
personal objects left over from former lovers,
accompanied by brief descriptions. It was
interesting and funny. Our next stop was Museum
Mimara, it's an art museum. We continued to
Museum if Illusions - I was really looking forward for
this one. It was incredible and so interesting.
Illusions were crazy and funny. It was getting kind
of late so we decided to skip Technical museum and
museum of Dražen Petrović, but you need to know
that Dražen Petrović was Croatian basketball
player,he had been playing for NBA's Nets before he
died in car accident.

We were tired of all exploring Zagreb so we went to
our hotel. On our way to hotel Valentina and Anja
took me to park Zrinjevac. Since they still didn't take
down Christmas decorations and it was getting dark
the park was absolutely stunning, the gazebo in the
middle of the park was still decorated with
Christmas lights, it was so romantic. I wish Ezgi was
here with me. We continued to our hotel since we
were tired and early in the morning the rest if
Croatian team will join us. Can't wait to meet them
all again.

20thJanuary (Valentina & Anja)
We woke up at 9 a.m, talked about how we will spend
my last day in Zagreb / Croatia. We decided that
first we will meet up with the rest of the team and
then we will visit Zagreb's zoo, park Maksimir,
stadium of local football club Dinamo, Zagreb's
cemetery Mirogoj and park Jarun. First we had
Croatian traditional breakfast ham,cheese,yogurt
and eggs.

While we were having breakfast,Mrs Bojanović called
to let us know that they are coming to Zagreb in
about 20 minutes, so we can meet them at the train
station. We were about to leave when Valentina
realised that she lost her phone. She was kind of
freaking out while Anja and I were looking round
our rooms. After 10 min Anja found it between her
clothes. Finally we left the hotel, took a tram and
went to the train station to meet others.

As we drove in the tram I observed the environment I
loved it. After meet up we went to ZOO. It is located
in park Maksimir so before we went there we
explored the park. Since the park is big, we only had
an opportunity to see a little part of it. We walked
by the river and fed little ducklings. It was so
beautiful and peaceful. We continued to ZOO. We
spent about 2 hours in the ZOO. It was so awesome,
I saw a lot of animals: bears,red pandas,
snakes,lions, tigers,zebras, seals,monkeys... We had
lunch and since my flight was scheduled for tonight
we had to hurry to see everything we planned.

Across the park is stadium of a local football club
Dinamo. We went inside, but because the players
had training, we could only take some pictures and
move on. Next stop was cemetery Mirogoj. We
didn't stay too long but the girl to some of the most
famous tombs of their famous people who are
buried there:president,kings,bans, sport persons...
We decided to go to Jarun Lake on our way back to
hotel, because I wanted to go shopping before I
leave Zagreb. The girls took me to Arena centre
which is located near Arena Zagreb,big
sports,concert hall - it has really weird shape.

. After shopping we went back to hotel. On the way
we stopped at Jarun Lake. We saw and fed swans,
talked and laughed. They asked me if I could come
back in summer to see the rest of the Croatian
coast, have a summer tour, and party in Croatian
way. Time passed by really fast and we had to go
back to hotel to pick up my stuff.

At the airport it was really hard to say goodbye to
them. I promised to come back and they promised
that they will try to come and visit me in London.
Although I had the best time on my tour, I was
really happy and excited to continue my adventure.

On the plane, I’m already making plans for my journey
across Italy. I’m on my own now, exploring the
sights and culture. I’ll have to use my knowledge of
Spanish to understand Italians and communicate
with them. All I know for now is I’m going from the
north towards the south of Italy. Who knows, I
might take ferry to Greece, and even continue back
to Turkey… ;)

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