Europia pursuit draft

Fresher food tastes better – When food is picked and eaten at the peak of freshness, it not only retains more nutrients, it also tastes better. Small, local farms offer more variety. Our industrial agricultural system uses a monocrop&nbsp;system. But smaller, organic farmers may grow a variety of organic and heirloom produce,&nbsp;which you might not find at the supermarket. Supporting local food aids your local economy. By choosing food produced locally, you’re supporting your community, and you help keep local producers in business. Local food creates community and connection. In our increasingly online and isolated&nbsp;world, loneliness is a growing problem. Getting to know your local growers and shopping or&nbsp;volunteering at a local farmer’s market, co-op, or community supported agriculture (CSA)&nbsp;counteracts this trend. And doing so can help you build meaningful human connections.

&nbsp;- the metal has been transformed in shot then in diverse item

- the papers or the cards become the bale of paper then news papers and cards

- and the plastic has been transformed in power then in fleeces or bottles

In Le Mans, we are one of the best recycling centers; it’s the most advancing in the new technology for the waste sorting. In this recycling centre, they transform the waste of the yellow bin:

the wood in wood shaving then in piece of furniture or for composting

On Recycling Day, on the 14th of February 2019, we organised a collaborative activity between a class of 11th graders and a class of pupils from the 7th grade.&nbsp;Some 11th graders involved in Europia project prepared and gave a presentation about recycling. After that, working in mixed groups, they talked about the topic, trying to find solutions in order to recycle more. Then, the same groups created posters and slogans to support recycling. It was a great opportunity to share ideas and to get to know other points of view.&nbsp;

Magiun of Topoloveni is a traditional Romanian food based on plum which has received since 2011 a Protected Geographical Status from the European Union. Magiun of Topoloveni is a kind of jam made from very ripe fruit from various plum varieties without added sugar.

Napolact is the main Romanian brand which belongs to the Dutch company Friesland Campina and it’s one of the biggest producers of dairy products in Romania. They own three productions facilities in Cluj, Targu Mures and Țaga.

However, for the reason why, improving the recycling work, residents have to place more recycling bins to give us more opportunities.&nbsp;

Also, recycled rubbish, are parted in categories. The categories are: paper, plastic, metal, glass, organic, batteries, light bulbs, e-waste and mixed.

For Recycling Day, our students were challenged to "think beyond the trash" and create artwork made only from recyclable objects. Afterwards, his artistic creations were exhibited in the school's gardens and appreciated by the entire school community. This challenge was included in the EcoEscolas Project and in the Art at School Project.

&nbsp;How do we celebrate important holidays in&nbsp;&nbsp;Europe

Ipssar Paolo Borsellino Highschool hosted the fifth mobility from 15th December to 17th December 2020 Students and teachers from Germany, Portugal, Greece, France, Romania and Italy met for three days to discuss the 2030 Agenda, in the presence of the Councilor Marano and Dr. Giambrone from the Regional Tourism Department. Through the platform Wonder. me, it was possible to break the ice and get to know each other. In addition, working in small international groups and presenting one's country and school brought the teams closer and closer. The protagonist of the second day was the sustainable European gastronomy shared by Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Greek and Romanian students. Our great chef Giovanni D’anna, with high professionality and nobility of the soul, has also shown and taught how to cook the very Sicilian gattò di patate to teachers and students from Faro, Le Mans, Beius, Agios Nikolaos and Hamburg. During the third and final day, great ideas were born from all the students for a more sustainable school. The proposals of the students will be sent to the local administrators. Exceptional was the presence of the magnificent maestro Cristoforo Fiorenza who made all of Europe sing “VOLARE” by Domenico Modugno, in a very exciting and appreciating

You can order organic food in a so-&nbsp;called “Bio-Kiste“ which translates&nbsp;to “organic box“. This box includes a&nbsp;variety of different locally grown&nbsp;foods, mostly directly from farms. The box is delivered to your house&nbsp;whenever you want.

Voelkel – organic juice

Voekel is producing some of the&nbsp;most well-known juices in&nbsp;Germany. They lay special&nbsp;emphasis on environmentally&nbsp;friendly cultivation methods&nbsp;which give the juices a natural&nbsp;taste. The company is supported&nbsp;by the EU and sells their juices in&nbsp;reusable (glass) bottles

Organic Potatoes from local farms

Potatoes are a main ingredient&nbsp;in German kitchens. There are&nbsp;many farms close to Hamburg&nbsp;that organically grow potatoes.&nbsp;You can usually buy them right&nbsp;at the farms, on markets or in&nbsp;supermarkets.

In the following days, our international guests, as well as the German team, offered different workshops which enabled all participants to find out more about each other’s countries. Moreover, all participants took part in a theatre workshop which created the foundation for one of our first year projects: cooperatively creating a play which explores our understanding of Europe, our hopes, dreams and fears.&nbsp;

In accordance with our motto of the first mobility “Embarking on our journey” we visited the “Auswandererhaus”, the German Emigration Center, a large theme museum for emigration and immigration in Europe. During a visit to the “Klimahaus”, a science center showing the unique world of weather and climate, we travelled through different climate zones along the 8th longitude and explored the effects of climate change, one of the topics for the second year of our project.&nbsp;

We also initiated a tradition of our project: the EUROPIA garden. Due to its traditional importance in Europe, we planted an olive tree in our school garden which symbolises the entire project for our school: being a part the European culture and working together to achieve change and strengthen our European sense of togetherness.

Daniela Basile Maria Benfante Alessandra Cappello Maria Concetta Catalano Gaetana Cusenza Giovanni D’Anna Cecilia Gaglio Alessandra Gentile Sabrina Giordano Dorotea Ingrasciotta Domenica Marino Sergio Mineo Anna Zavatteri&nbsp;

Aurora Alioto Rosi Amato Argentini Alessia Rinchelyn Banta Kristopher Barone Martina Basile Simona Basile Marco Bianchi Benedetto Brunelli Alessio Brusca Gabriele Buccheri Martina Buffa Dave Cabute Simone Calamia Daniele Cangelosi Magda Capitoli Alessia Cardovino Desiree Cavaliere Francesco Chinnici Fabio Ciulla Angela Cusimano Concetta Cutrano Sarah Falcone Valentina Ferrara Samuele Finocchio Antonino Garofalo Andrea Greco Lasile Jean

Giovanni Lo Coco Sonia Lo Verde Christian Machì Giuseppe Meli Danilo Mormino Sara Motisi Chiara Noto La Deca Gabriele Pala Riccardo Paternostro Roberto Picone Flavia Angela Pisciotta Valerio Riccobono Cristian Rizzo Roberto Rizzo Francesca Russo Silvia Sanfilippo Christian Santacolomba Simona Sorgi Erik Scordo Stefania Sorgi Silvia Speciale Giorgia Tarantino Jennipher Trapani Mikaela Treviso Giuseppe Vattiato Manila Velardi Alessia Vitale

Sven-Holger Hahn Harm-Heye Kaninski Barbara Kusenberg Claire Schleweis Roswitha Thiel

Mascha Ahrens Anika Akanho Bengt Alpers Riekje Alpers Assal Amini Jonas Angerer Lilly Anselm Emma Appelt Johanna Bartels Jakob Bode Emma Bommer Ida Bunar Paul Burlon Anna Clauß Frederike Eckert Muriel Everling Branka Fährmann Emilia Ferreira-Brandt Amélie Fox Matilda Frey Jan-Marton Frieß Greta Ghanem Marlene Glos Jonah Guercke Annika Hitschke Levi Hoban Melissa Iscan Vincent Jakubowski Joshua Jansen

Nana Jendretzke Lennart Jensen Smilla Jung Justus Kapferer Theo Kaune Catharina Kleinschmidt Tom Niclas Knaack Nils Kratzer Rosa Krautscheid Max Kruse Theo Kruse Henry Kunze Thies Martens Miruna Mihalache Johannes Salge Anouschka Schäfer Felicia Schäfer Chiara Schönemann Pippa Sörensen Johann Stelly Sunniva Stürken Malin Trautner Nike Utesch Clara Vossbeck Max Walter Isabel Wegner Lasse Witthoefft Feline Wolff Leo Zelaß

Easter is the most important holiday of Christianity. The goal is to find the chocolate eggs and rabbits hidden most often in the garden by the bells that come to deposit them.

The Chandeleur symbolizes the return of light. At the beginning of February, the days begin to get longer. With their round shape and golden color, the pancakes recall the sun, and therefore the return to&nbsp;<a href="https://ssl.microsofttranslator.com/bv.aspx?ref=TAns&amp;from=&amp;to=en&amp;a=light.As">light. As</a> every year, the pancake festival takes place on February 2, a fixed date in the calendar that corresponds to the 40-day deadline after Christmas.

The New Year in France is quite simple: it's the party! As a child, we spend the New Year with our family on December 31 and/or January 1. Teenager/young adult, it's more with friends for the evening of December 31 and with family for the meal on January 1st.&nbsp;The New Year usually expresses itself in the same way: we make farandoles inside and out, we kiss under the mistletoe and after a countdown that ends at midnight, we wish each other the Happy New Year by toasting with glasses of champagne.

Recycling Nothing is lost, everything is transformed! WEE are made of materials that take thousands of years to degrade, at the same time containing toxic substances, whose wrongful management generates health and environment risks. This is why GreenWEEE International ensures safe and modern recycling services, for all electric and electronic equipment, batteries, cables and parts from automotive industry.

MGG Remat is one of the largest processors of recycable materials in Romania. The company operates three processing centres and numerous collection points all over Romania. The main activity is the collection, processing and trade in scrap metal, non-ferrous metals and paper. The opening of the recycling park in Frumuseni (near Arad) in October 2012 created considerable processing capacities for electrical and electronic scrap and for the recycling of cables. As a result, MGG Remat has become one of the largest recyclers of electronic scrap in Romania. The services of MGG Remat not only include ELV, WEEE, ferrous and non-ferrous recycling services. Also collection and recycling of paper and plastic wastes are part of the services of this Northern Romanian based subsidiary.

Cracchiolo Croce organic farm has chosen organic production because organic agriculture considers the entire agricultural ecosystem, exploits the natural fertility of the soil favoring it with limited interventions, also wants to promote the biodiversity of the environment in which it operates and limits or excludes the use of synthetic products and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It produces oil and organic, lemons, mandarins and oranges.

BIOINVIO farm is located in Vittoria, in the province of Ragusa, dedicated for four generations to the production of citrus fruits. Since 1994 the company has been certified organic (among the first in Sicily) and produces oranges (blond and red), lemons, clementines, mandarins and pink grapefruits. The production takes place in an open field, without forcing, favoring the vocation of the territory, perfectly suited for citrus fruits. A part of the fruit is also destined to a small line of processed products (jams, candied fruit and bottled juices).

Poggio Rosso farm is family-run and consists of a citrus grove of almost eight hectares and a total number of 2700 orange varieties "Tarocco” . The activity concerns the cultivation of this splendid typical Sicilian product, which is the red orange, together with the cultivation of oil olives, obtained from 152 olive trees. All good agricultural practices are adopted, respecting the environment and protecting the health of consumers.

In Sicily, the “Sicilia km zero” logo (inspired by the prickly pear) was established, guaranteeing consumers greater transparency of prices and, of course, traceability. The "Sicilia km zero" logo includes the products marked with: &nbsp;protected origin designation (dop) &nbsp;protected geographical indication (igp) &nbsp;guaranteed traditional specialty (stg) &nbsp;certified organic production.

“Welcome to the IPSSAR Paolo Borsellino vegan day! After days of preparations, activities took place in the two seats of the school. We involved the whole school, with internal circular letters, and everything went through. But what a HARD WORK !!!!!!. Yet, WE ARE REALLY SATISFIED!!!!! We have involved our food science and cooking teachers who have explained so much about the vegan diet, its history, lights and shadows, and good practices. We then organized 2 thematic games, involving the audience: a kahoot <a href="https://create.kahoot.it/share/erasmus-europia-for-vegan-day/f0571ad5-04a2-4269-a5ae-251da8c4c31f">https://create.kahoot.it/share/erasmus-europia-for-vegan-day/f0571ad5-04a2-4269-a5ae-251da8c4c31f</a> where everyone played alone and a team game. In the latter, our companions had to identify the ingredients of some famous Sicilian recipes, VEGAN ones (without anyone knowing it in advance !!!!). A very severe jury awarded the winners small prizes, labelled with ERASMUS and eTwinning. During the break between the classes, we involved our 2 neighborhoods. The two seats of the school are far from each other. We had a great collaboration from the bakeries, from the sandwich bars and from the supermarkets where posters, posted days before, invited to the purchase of vegan snacks. We were there to give small coppitelli (which is a Sicilian word for a paper cone containing food) full of dried fruit!!!!!! But there were also those who organized an "interesting" snack in their classrooms. Until next time, more and more sustainable!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMRJT3OQTqw&amp;t=20s

The first edition of the festival took place in 2015 mainly on<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluj_Arena"> </a>Cluj Arena, when Cluj-Napoca was appointed the<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Youth_Capital"> </a>European Youth Capital. The main artists that performed were:<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armin_van_Buuren"> </a>Armin van Buuren,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avicii"> </a>Avicii, David Guetta, Dimitri Vegas &amp; Like Mike and<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATB"> </a>ATB. During the four days of the festival, more than 240,000 people attended the concerts held on several stages in the centre of Cluj-Napoca. It pulled in €20 million in revenue. In 2016 Untold became the international ambassador of<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romania"> </a>Romania and Transylvania, the land of<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula"> </a>Dracula.The festival bracelet allowing visitors to visit for free or at a discounted rate a series of major Romanian sights such as<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bran_Castle"> </a>Bran Castle – home of<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler"> </a>Vlad the Impaler, Corvin Castle, the Merry Cemetery, the Mocănița Steam Train, the Turda Salt Mines, and many other touristic attractions. The initiative aimed at supporting<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Romania"> </a>Romanian tourism, by inviting guests to stay longer and explore the no. 1 must see destination of 2016, according to Lonely Planet.

Responsible students

France: Tom Hamelin, Maxime Richard, Inès Gay, Maéva Coulon Germany: Luis Schwinger, Abtin Anoosheh, Arda Güngor Greece: Merisa Tzania, Giorgos Lyrakis Italy: Daniele Faraone, Alessio Brusca Portugal: Inês Silva Romania: Cristina MAGHIAR, Gabriel ZAUNER, Giulia MOS, Nina TOMELE, Janos KISS

Everybody loves Christmas. It’s great to spend time with your family preparing traditional Romanian foods, decorating the Christmas tree and singing carols. After the Christmas tree is decorated, all the kids wait for Santa to bring presents. In fact, we all get presents. It’s so nice to see the happiness in everyone’s eyes. We are used to having snow for Christmas, to making snowmen and to playing outside. Kids ride their sledges enjoying each moment. We are used to going to church and to receiving carolers. For Christmas, we mostly eat pork.

(Agios Nikolaos, Crete, 21-25/3/2019)

Laying the foundation of EUROPIA

On Thursday 21/3/2019 the hosting families and the teachers of Europia team welcomed the visitors in our town’s harbor. The first day (Friday, 22/3/2019) started with a Welcoming Ceremony and a presentation of our school and our town. Then all partners presented their schools and their countries. After a small break, the students of the 6 countries interviewed tourism experts about the ways to approach different cultures and the role of music and dance as means of approaching different cultures. Students of our schools played traditional Cretan music and taught the visitors how to dance traditional Cretan dances.

After launch at school, a Gesture workshop followed. The students presented everyday habits of their country with expressions, gestures and sayings from the past and/or today. At the end of the day, all the students worked on the "Myth of Europe". It was a Computer research in groups about the Legend of Lake “Voulismeni”, which is one of the most beautiful places of our town. Members of every group presented the results of their research by PP, poster or theatre. The following day (Saturday 23/3/2019) we continued the workshop "Myth of Europe", seeking parts of the myth of Europe in the town in an enjoyable Treasure hunt

Then, it was theatre time: after a brief presentation of the history of the Ancient Greek theatre, the students took part in the theatrical play "The Trial of Socrates", deciding to exonerate the famous philosopher. After launch, we visited the "Bioaroma" distillery and in the afternoon we participated in the Workshop “Establishing the foundations of EUROPIA”, presenting Cretan “mantinada”, selecting and awarding the best. Before saying goodnight, we planted the garden of EUROPIA in our school yard.

Dragobete - Romanian love celebration

On this day, considered locally the first day of spring, boys and girls gather vernal flowers and sing together. Maidens used to collect the snow that lay on the ground in many villages and then melt it, using the water in magic potions throughout the rest of the year. Those who take part in Dragobete customs are supposed to be protected from illness, especially fevers, for the rest of the year. If the weather allows, girls and boys pick<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowdrop"> snowdrops</a> or other early spring plants for the person they are courting.&nbsp;

It's a soup made from pork soup The thickening is done with two kinds of meat, pork or beef. For beef we use leg and meat. The ingredients we need are laurel, cumin, salt, pepper and gelatin powder to coagulate. The calf in order to extract all the fat and cook properly needs a lot of boiling hours compared to the pork. When making pork gel, besides pork and meat we can boil the pig's head. We also use ingredients like carrot, celery, spice other than salt, pepper and gelatin. The gelatin is a substance of animal origin used to coagulate liquids.

In the kitchen the pistachio becomes a king! Pistachio is not only synonymous with desserts, but nourishing seasoning for pasta dishes. In addition to the fabulous ice cream, you will taste pistachio pastes,&nbsp;the pistachio pesto made with only pistachio and seed oil, or the traditional Bronte cake garnished with the precious fruit. Bronte is located on the western slopes of Etna

Also, foods from local growers may contain&nbsp;less (or no) pesticides. Farmers have to pay&nbsp;an extra fee to become certified organic.&nbsp;Some small-scale farmers use organic&nbsp;methods but aren’t certified because they&nbsp;simply aren’t big enough to be able to afford&nbsp;the certification fees. Even if they aren’t&nbsp;organic, small farmers tend to use fewer&nbsp;chemicals than large, industrialized farms. If you can, talk to your farmers at your local&nbsp;market and ask them what (if any) pesticides&nbsp;they use.&nbsp;And be sure to wash your&nbsp;produce thoroughly to reduce your exposure<a href="https://foodrevolution.org/blog/how-to-wash-vegetables-fruits/"> </a>&nbsp;to pesticides — which is especially important&nbsp;for pregnant women and children.

Bean soup accompanied by homemade gelatine

Feast of Santo António de Lisboa

Santo António, much venerated in Lisbon and treated as a true patron saint of the city, gives the nickname for the parties that reach their peak on the night of June 12, with the parade of popular marches on Av. da Liberdade. On the afternoon of the 13th, the procession in honor of this popular saint, who has a reputation as a matchmaker, walks the streets surrounding the Cathedral and gives religious festivities. The nights are livened up by the typical neighborhoods of Lisbon, Castelo da Mouraria, Graça, Alfama, Ajuda and Bairro Alto, with lots of music and dancing to the rhythm of popular songs. Sprinkled with wreaths and colorful balloons, the streets are invaded by the smell of roasted sardines and the aromas of the basilicas accompanied by a paper pin and a block allusive to St. Anthony. (Beatriz Iria)

On March 2019 the 2nd mobility of our Erasmus project took place. All partners visited Crete and one of our activities was to put some plants and the flags of each country in the garden of our school and name it the “Europia” Garden. On the Planting Day (one of the sustainable days) we were planning with our students to add some new plants in our “Europia” garden and make it bigger.&nbsp;Besides, during the ICT lesson our students created a robot that they were going to program, so that it would inform us whenever our plants needed to be watered, by using a humidity sensor.

Unfortunately, covid-19 prevents us from completing our plans. So, we have decided to buy one plant and one pot for each student that participates in our Erasmus project. Each student will place the plant in the pot and will put a flag that we have formerly printed ,with the sign of&nbsp;Europia, on it. Firstly, this way our students will remember how important plants are in our lives and secondly they will be responsible for these plants. Besides, they will never forget being part of our Erasmus project : “EUROPIA, Building New European Dreams”.

In Portugal it isn’t very common to see organic&nbsp;brands, but there are some of them, such as: “origens bio”, “GoBio”, “continente Bio”.

Besides products, in Lisbon we can see an entire supermarket full of biological products and it is called “Maria Granel”.

Feasts of São João - Porto

This festival celebrates the feasts of São João, the most revered saint of Oporto, held on the night of 23rd June. These feasts of pagan origin are associated with the celebration of the summer solstice, and are marked by dancing, eating and fireworks.

Striving for a zero waste future by closing resource cycles Since the 1970s, LafargeHolcim has pioneered the co-processing of waste materials, and for decades ... In 2017 Geocycle Romania prevented from landfilling a quantity equivalent to the waste produced by 720.000 inhabitants – 1/3 of Bucharest population or cumulated population of Timișoara, Oradea and Sibiu.

Local food from Sarthe: Our local food include a wide variety of vegetables, the famous Loué Chickens, and our speciality,&nbsp;“Rillettes du Mans ou de la Sarthe”&nbsp;

It is impossible not to evoke rillettes. First emerged in the 15th century, this "brown pig jam" that&nbsp; Rabelais spoke of, took off in the 19th century, particularly in Connerré, which became the capital of&nbsp; rillettes from the Sarthe. Prepared on the basis of pork meat, it’s cooked for a long time over a&nbsp; low heat, in fat seasoned with salt and pepper. The rillettes of Sarthe are mouth-watering and tasty!

Food is one of the leading drivers of climate change. Eating more local food reduces CO2 emissions by reducing food miles — the distance food travels from farm to consumer. Local food helps preserve green space. When local farmers are well compensated&nbsp;for their products, they are less likely to sell their land to developers. Likewise, with&nbsp;growing consumer demand, young farmers are increasingly likely to enter the&nbsp;marketplace by developing unused space, such as empty lots, into thriving urban&nbsp;gardens — many of which are grown organically. Choosing more plant-based foods<a href="http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6064"> </a>is an important part of the equation as well. If you&nbsp;want to eat a more sustainable diet, look for foods that are local, organic, and low on the&nbsp;food chain. The higher the percentage of your protein intake that comes from plant&nbsp;foods, the more earth-friendly and healthful your diet will be

<a href="https://read.bookcreator.com/e2LClyYvkxXmTQ2Eh2IjNp4Jv022/BidM-gnzRYu2_iCqTjkX7A">https://read.bookcreator.com/e2LClyYvkxXmTQ2Eh2IjNp4Jv022/BidM-gnzRYu2_iCqTjkX7A</a>

Linked to the historical events that have seen the island as a protagonist, in the Sicilian cuisine the traces of the different cultures that have come and gone over time are recognizable: from the Greek culinary tradition to the Roman, from the Arab (in particular in western Sicily), to the Spanish and French. Each area of Sicily has different gastronomic characteristics due above all to the availability of raw materials: so on the coasts there are numerous recipes based on fish, while meat, legumes and cheeses prevail as ingredients in inland dishes. The use of spices and aromas&nbsp;is very widespread throughout the island in the preparation of dishes, and since Sicilian cuisine is basically a cuisine made with the less noble parts of food and&nbsp;based on vegetables, but on food waste too.

Sicily is a real treasure of biodiversity, especially in the food sector. “Sicilia in Bio” is a unique platform which brings together in a single catalog more than 80 organic products from small and medium Sicilian producers. In addition to favor local economies, the project aims to bring the goodness of our land throughout Italy, turning to stores that have particularly good and healthy food at heart. Sicily, Puglia and Calabria: these three regions alone concentrate 46% of the entire national biological area. According by Sinab (National Information System on Organic Farming) for the Minister of Agricultural, Food, Forestry and Tourism Policies, in 2017 in Sicily the biological area has reached an extension of 427 thousand hectares (+17, 5% on 2016), the highest at national level.

Piftie (Pork Jelly)

Romanian pork jelly is a delicious meat aspic made from pig’s trotters, rind, ears, and tail. The mixture is spiced with lots of garlic and served as an appetizer during the Christmas meal

Another Romanian Christmas dish, caltabos is a liver-based sausage which also contains other minced pork organs, rice, onion, and spices – all boiled, mashed, and stuffed in natural pig casings.

Caltabos (Liver Sausage)

Festas das Flores de Campo Maior e do Funchal&nbsp;

These Flower Festivals are a tribute to Spring, and the celebration of the metamorphosis and rebirth, the fertility and the abundance of flowers that paint, perfume and intoxicate the surroundings and that lend value and take the good name of this tourist destination across borders.&nbsp;

Popular Festivals in Greece!

An area of 1,500 square meters where you can buy a selection of 2,800 Sicilian products (29 Igp and Dop) at kilometer zero, for a gastronomic offer that allows you to switch from fried fish to fruit and vegetable centrifuges, from the classic 'sfincione' to donkey mortadella, tea and exotic fruits.

Carnival of Torres Vedras&nbsp;

This is where one of the most popular carnivals in the country is celebrated. One of the highlights of the celebration is the parade of the Corsicans with floats, "matrafonas" (men masquerading as women) and the famous cabeçudos (giant dolls) accompanied by "Zés-Pereiras". However, many of the folk are associated with the foliage, mostly masked, and parade between the floats and the parade groups. The music is all local, trying to keep the Portuguese roots. &nbsp;(Beatriz Iria)

France: Tom Hamelin, Maxime Richard, Lou Strozikowski, Enora Ligot, Manon Nail, Gustave Strubel, Ilyas Jaah Germany: Jakob Bode, Theo Kaune, Leo Zelaß Greece: Marijanna Arakadaki, Maria Apidianaki, Mirto Garefalaik, Valia Hellebust Italy: Martina Buffa, Benny Brunelli Portugal: Joana Coelho Romania: Carla SELEGEAN, Giulia BANDA

During the Christmas season, it is a tradition for the Firemen to make beautiful cribs - “Presépios”- representing the nativity scene and countless clay figures representing lively daily scenes that are visited by city dwellers.

&nbsp;Questioning our common present and building the Europe of tomorrow Once the date of the reception in France, at the Lycée Touchard-Washington, was chosen, we thought about how we could enrich the creation of Europia. For us, it was essential to make the students aware of our common cultural heritage, which is the very origin of our sense of belonging to Europe. We were obviously thinking of the great cultural and artistic movements: humanism, baroque, romanticism... which characterize the European sensibility. Three questions then guided our reflection: What does it mean to live in Europe today? How can we give shape to our students' dreams of Europe? How to create and live, between European partners, an experience of common sharing? The answers seemed to us to be only artistic and sensitive. We wanted to avoid a fixed discourse on a complex reality but rather to nourish the possibilities.

What does it mean to live in Europe today? Before being able to conceive our European utopia, we judged that it was essential to better know and question Europe today. This is why we envisaged a project of photographic series. We therefore invited our partners, Sicilians, Romanians, Crete inhabitants, Germans and Portuguese, to take photographs based on common motifs.&nbsp;

What similarities? What singularities would emerge? Do people get married in the same way in the different regions of Europe? What does a European family look like in the 21 st century, the architecture of a city, of a village? As citizens and members of a community, do we share the same traditions? The instructions for taking the photographs were intended to create series: the choice of the angle of view, the framing, the color, allowed the viewer to see the homogeneity or the singularities of the six partner countries through formal and aesthetic similarity. Thus, if the market stalls taken in close-up are strangely similar, the traditional dishes are very different, reflecting the European diversity.

https://www.powtoon.com/s/bfinNT01okG/1/m

EUROPIA between the past and the future

The Romanian mobility took place in May 2019, from the 5th to the 10th of May. It was another chance for us, partners, to share, to collaborate, to communicate, in order to create our Europia. Our mobility was called “Europia between the past and the future” and it was meant to make the participants better understand our past in order to better understand what is to come, that is our future, our Europia. The mobility was divided in three main categories: creative workshops, discovering the Romanian culture and life and presenting the results. One of the workshops concentrated on how to put the ideas of EUROPIA into a big painted canvas. In groups, students created a canvas, “Europia in colours”. Another workshop focused on how to turn the ideas of Europia into a song. In groups, students created stanzas, which were combined into a common anthem for Europia. The participants also got into contact with some Romanian traditional handcrafts, such as pottery and weaving traditional necklaces. During the mobility, there were other activities too, such as: displaying a Romanian traditional wedding and dances, tasting Romanian foods, visiting exhibitions displaying Romanian works of art and traditional handcrafts. The programme also included trips to different landmarks of our region. The participants visited Oradea, the seat of Bihor county, a unique city where seven architectural styles (Baroque, Classical, Eclectic, Historicist, Secession, Romantic and Neo-Romanian) can be admired. They also visited Baile Felix and discovered the thermal waters and the water lilies. Several caves were also visited: the Bears’ Cave and Meziad Cave. It was a fantastic adventure and we enjoyed it a lot!&nbsp;

The Società Agricola Siciliana SRL was born from the initiative of two young entrepreneurs to produce really healthy and natural quality vegetables and fruit. Precisely for this reason the production consists only of organic crops, in full respect of the environment. The production site, entirely "zero impact" thanks to the use of renewable sources, is located in Sicily on the outskirts of Syracuse and covers over 5 hectares. Here olives, a variety of vegetables and some fruits typical of our region&nbsp;(plums, apricots, pomegranate, figs, mulberries) are produced.

Our Europia&nbsp;: Utopia - Dystopia, an immersive art work

We tried to give an artistic form to our European utopia, a Europe that we would like to be luminous, radiant and participating in the well-being of everyone. Elsa Tomkowiak's work immediately inspired us: through interventions or colored installations, she re-enchants existing places, and invites us to consider differently our relationship to a space we cross, to a landscape we look at, to a place where we live. She agreed to supervise the conception and the realization of our work for our greatest pleasure. &nbsp;

From the beginning we wanted to create an immersive work, that one crosses, so that it constitutes a true experiment of wellbeing, we wished to plunge each one in the color, in a vibration and a radiation almost palpable. By investing the footbridge, the work could take advantage of the outside light and have the desired intensity. It could also be seen from the school yard. The choice of the plastic material seems of course contradictory with our utopia: how to envisage a Europe which takes part in the blooming of all, while being based on a polluting matter?

What utopia can exist without a sustainable reflection? Our dream risked becoming a real nightmare for the generations to come... And it is precisely this questioning on the necessity of an ethical approach that guided the conception of our work and we decided to consider it as a place of reflection on the impacts of plastic.

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” - Nelson Mandela -

In times of great change, we all need helping hands we can rely on. This change began years before we set foot on this earth and yet we as the young generation have made it our mission to do everything in our power to create our "Europia" - Our European Utopia. In the summer of 2018, we started our three-year journey towards a better future with the project "Erasmus+". Six schools from the six European countries – France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Romania – joined forces to ask themselves what our differences and similarities are, as well as implement sustainability projects. But what does sustainability actually mean? Is it the protection of biodiversity? The reduction of plastic production? Or something completely different? We have learned that everything that provides a happy and healthy future is sustainable. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, which should be achieved until 2030, set out exactly that. We have oriented ourselves to these goals. We have asked ourselves again and again: What creates peace? How do you combine climate protection and industry? And what about society? What does a community like Europe mean - mean for us? Funded by the European Union, we sat down and made plans. We travelled to each participating country, albeit sometimes only virtually due to the Covid19 pandemic, and discussed what we could do as young citizens of the world. Together, we set up projects that allowed us to forge intercultural links under the EU flag. A documentary project and a picture contest led us to the perception: These are the shoulders we stand on. All that we did in three years in each of the six countries is now summarised in our big "Europia" book. But the most important achievement cannot be squeezed into words, because friendship is the driving force that we all take away from this project. We have all made new friends who may be miles away and yet, through a shared dream, seem very close. These three years of the project are now behind us, but we look forward with pride and confidence and are grateful for the companions we know are by our side.

Portugal is one of the few remaining European countries that still operates functional produce markets – markets where locals actually buy their shopping, as opposed to the more expensive weekend “farmer’s markets” that are common in the UK and USA. If you’re visiting the Algarve, and especially if you’re staying in self-catering accommodation, then a trip to one of the many Algarve markets is an absolute must. Fish and seafood are a big part of the Portuguese diet, and most of the markets have an excellent selection of fish – better than what many visitors are used to anyway. Olhão is home to the best fish market in the Algarve but many others, like Portimão, don’t lag far behind. Almost all of the markets have an excellent selection of fruit and vegetables, most of which is grown locally or at least in Portugal. Look out for sweet potatoes (batata doce) for Aljezur, something which the Algarve is famous for. You’ll also spot some interesting seasonal fruits like dióspiros (the Hachiya persimmon), which is absolutely delicious and tastes like honey.

The Portuguese eat a lot of chicken, often BBQ’d, and you can usually find really well-fed and good quality chickens at the market. The prices are very reasonable as well. Pork is also very popular. Look out for Porco Preto, which is the Black Iberian Pig. It’s very flavoursome, and something you’ll only find in Spain and Portugal. Beef in Portugal usually is very good quality, especially in the north of Portugal

The menhir leaning against the Saint Julien cathedral proves that men settled in Le Mans in a very ancient period (3rd millennium BC). The natural site was attractive: the confluence of two rivers, the Sarthe and the Huisne, a fairly wide valley and a hill overlooking the whole. But in 2003, a prehistoric site dated from the Middle Paleolithic period was discovered at the place called Château-Gaillard during a construction site in the Ardriers district, proving that Neanderthal man had frequented the place, more than 75,000 years ago. The remains of the Roman period are particularly developed in Le Mans and its region. During the first half of the 1st century B.C., the city of Vindunum became the capital of the ancient territory of the Cenomans: one can observe the Roman wall erected at the end of the 3rd century, the best preserved in the ancient Roman Empire after that of Rome. Le Mans is called "red city" because of the color of its materials (brick and sandstone), used for its construction.

All starts by informing our school with an internal circular. On January 23rd, the "Plastic Free Day" took place in the main hall of the school. The first part of the meeting was dedicated to the vision of a clip, made by an Erasmus student, where we saw when plastic was born, what this material is made of, how some plastic objects are produced, eventually the pollution that the immense use of plastic has produced on our planet, what is the correct way to recycle plastic and the good practices that we can put in place to avoid continuing to damage the natural balance and consequently endanger our lives. Then we analyzed a powerpoint, made by some of our schoolmates, which highlighted what plastic is and we watched matching video. After that, we attended at the the exposition of a one of our classmates, who presented a powerpoint on microplastics and nanoplastic and the speech of an our teacher who deepened the theme "Plastic at the table? No thanks!" We talked, then, about bioplastics and bio-sustainability through the another powerpoint, made by two groups of schoolmates. The last intervention was that of Nunzia Ogliormino, policewoman / recycler, patroness of the event, who creates objects and jewels by recycling plastic in an artistic and creative way.&nbsp; The lady has been awarded internationally for her contribution in the good practices of plastic recycling, for the artistic and symbolic value of her works. Our guest then showed many photos of jewelry and objects made of various recycled plastic materials, and with us watching she transformed a plastic bottle into pretty Christmas balls. Subsequently, space was given to the various creations that the students made on the theme of the day. All the produced slogans had been projected on the screen and the created mesostics had been read. They had pitted everything in a handmade mailbox. And finally, the created recycled plastic objects were showed. Immediately afterwards, while the committee responsible for evaluating the submitted work gathered to evaluate the work and identify the winners in the various categories, we made a thematic kahoot. At the end of the meeting, the first three for kahoot, the three boys who made pretty objects with recycled plastic, the students who created the mesostics, and the four boys who created the most significant slogans were awarded. From 23 th of January, for every Monday until April, we will bring as many plastic bottles and containers as possible to school. &nbsp;A RACE is in progress…

How can we give shape to our students' dreams of Europe? We proposed to all the students of the EUROPIA project to create visual productions, graphics and collages based on Caspar Friedrich's painting, "The Traveller contemplating a sea of clouds". This traveler, who looks into the distance, served as a support to give artistic form to our reflection on the Europe of tomorrow. Based on his cultural heritage, the rocks in the painting, the European traveler contemplates the future and dreams of a better Europe which is outlined in the "sea of clouds" and the sky. In this way, the pupils from the six partner countries were able to express what they consider to be European culture and to give form to their utopia.&nbsp; We also imagined an activity based on some of the great utopias of the past, such as Thomas More's Utopia, the Familistère de Guise, the Abbey of Thélème, and the Palace of Versailles (which we visited during our stay), in order to help the students design the foundations of their Europia. They then worked in international groups and presented the results of their thinking. Under the impulse of the German students, particularly sensitive to environmental issues, the projects were very marked by sustainable development, both in the choice of materials, in the means imagined to move and live and in the search for harmony between the citizens of Europia.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Bread is one of the most&nbsp;typical kinds of food found in&nbsp;German households. More and more stores and&nbsp;bakeries sell bread made from&nbsp;organically-grown grain&nbsp;without any unnatural&nbsp;additives.

Zwergenwiesen, which translates to&nbsp;“dwarf meadows“, is an organic bread&nbsp;spread that you can buy in many&nbsp;different varieties, e.g. tomato-basilicum&nbsp;or chives. The company only uses products from&nbsp;regional, organic farming, especially&nbsp;smaller farms. Through personal contact&nbsp;to all the farmers, they can ensure a high&nbsp;quality of the products and fair payment.

Carnival (Karneval or Fasching in German) originally starts on the 11th November at 11:11am, but the real traditions including loud and colourful parades with hundreds of people dressed up as anything they want, a lot of carnival groups with their carts walking and driving through the streets throwing confetti and sweets to the people standing near them, takes place in February, just before the fasting season of Lent. Rosenmontag or Rose Monday&nbsp;is the highlight of the long carnival weekend, as most big and famous parades take place on that date. The floats change every year and always include Satirical portrayals of politicians, organisations and current affairs. The topics remain a secret until shortly before the party begins, nobody is even allowed to take a photo of them before, which makes people very curious and attracts thousands of spectators. The focus is in Cologne (Köln), Düsseldorf and Mainz where carnival is known as the fifth season of the year.&nbsp;

In Greece, there are lots of festivals.The most beautiful of all, I think is the celebration of the 15th August. In this celebration I go at Neapoli (a city near Agios Nikolaos).The day before 15th August at Neapoli there a big festival. After the church there are venue, where the people can eat traditional food and they can hear traditional music and dance, too. Also they can buy some things like bracelets,earrings,toys,etc

In the day of 15th August,the band&nbsp;play happy songs on the streets in town.That’s songs called marcies(μαρτσιες). In the noon,all the families eat together.There are lots of festivals in Greece but the festival of the 15th August I believe is the most beautiful of all.

Hamburg and Blankenese

Hamburg is a city in the north of Germany. The specialty of this city is that it is a state and a city at the same time. With an area of ca. 755 &nbsp;and 1.8 million inhabitants it is the second greatest city in Germany.

The language spoken in Hamburg is German, just like in the rest of the country. The Elbe is a big river which is running through Hamburg and is a great trade route for the whole country.

There are many landmarks to visit in the city. Such as the Alster, which is another river, the harbour of Hamburg and the Elbphilharmonie (Elbe philharmonic hall).&nbsp;

Almond blossom fest in Agrigento

The event begins at sunrise with a beautiful ride in the Valley of the Temples and continues with the Torchlight of Friendship at the Concordia Temple. After the torchlight procession the city will be animated by performances by international folk groups, who will dance and sing with the audience for the whole night, up to the Valley of the Temples. The festival ends with a colorful show at the foot of the Concordia temple with the awarding of the prizes to the groups that have best represented their heritage.

COMMUNITY VEGETABLES GARDENS

Community vegetables gardens are spaces for socializing, leisure and learning, with a strong social-cultural component, which enhances the quality of life of its users. You can create a community vegetable plot anywhere- it could be a raised bed in a public space, a shared area on an estate, a revamped piece of unloved land, or in your front gardens along the street. It’s a great way to bring people together to build on a shared passion for food

In Faro there’s an organization founded in 2014 that aims towards the following concepts: harvesting resources locally, producing food and turning their waste into reusable materials to help the growth of the vegetables and fruits. They use techniques such as permaculture and environmental technologies to educate the society to have an sustainable life. New Loops always works with different types of people and cultures, with different specializations to share knowledge and other sustainable methods.&nbsp;

St. Nicholas Day In Germany children believe in St. Nicholas and Knecht Ruprecht. If the child behaved well in the last year, St. Nicholas will put chocolate, walnuts, tangerines and smaller gifts in a boot they placed at the front-door on the 6th of December. Children are told that if they did not behave that well, Knecht Ruprecht will come to them with his rod.&nbsp;

Putting a boot at the front-door to get treated by St. Nicholas

GELATINA DI MAIALE &nbsp; (pork jelly)

With the less noble parts of the pork. The gelatine is consumed cold and can be stored for a few days.

But a particularly wonderful smell floated out of the cafeteria. Tables were set up there with the most delicious food from all over the world. Desserts, hot dishes and finger food tempted with the culinary variety. Weeks later, students proudly wore their rainbow stickers on their jackets, making their small contribution to a more just and diverse world. We all took something small away with us from this day, even if it was only the realisation that diversity exists everywhere and that on this day it was given the space it deserves at our schools.&nbsp;

For the Eco-label in France for food we find mainly the AB label, but all supermarkets are developing their organic brand.

The AB Label certifies that the product comes from organic farming practiced in France. This label, created in 1985, benefits from the support of the French Agency for Development and the promotion of organic farming (Agence Bio). French Ministry of Agriculture The certification for the AB label fulfills the EU regulations for organic food.

Two well known symbols form the basis of the EU Organic Logo: the European flag – official symbol of the European Union since 1986 – and a leaf that is used in a variety of shapes to symbolise nature and sustainability. The combination of these two symbols creates a unique visual element that is self explanatory and appealing. The EU organic logo is introduced by the Commission Regulation (EU) of 24 March 2010.

Giannadaki Tzeni Ioannidou Eleni Nikitaki Eirini Papadaki Ioanna Tassopoulou Evi Toutoudaki Marina Toutoudakis Nikos

Alexis Nikos Amariotaki Anthi Anastasiou Athina Androutsou Evagellia Arnaoutakis Emmanouel Augoustinatos Socrates Chalkiadakis Mironas. Chamilakis Emmanouel Charalampaki Katerina Delliou Thalia Garefalaki Mirto Gritzia Maria Karalis Basilis Katheklaki Anthi Katrozanaki Sisilia Koziris Ilias Lavdakis Giannis

Lionoudaki Malena Maniadakis Dionisis Mastorakis Giannis Mastorakis Stavros Mavri Iliana Mpakali Katerina Mpougias George Papadakis Ilias Sideri Dimitra Sifakis Leonidas Silligardaki Melina Sintihakis Ioannis Spiridakis George Toutoudakis Aggelos Tsinari Valia Tzania Merisa Zervantonaki Fotini

Day of German Unity The German Day of Unity (Tag der Deutschen Einheit) on the 3rd of October is the day Germany got united by law. After being divided for 40 years in the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany after WWII, Germany consolidated again in 1990.&nbsp;It is a public holiday in Germany, so schools and most businesses are closed. Public celebrations take place all over the country, politicians give speeches and fireworks accompany the festive atmosphere.

German Day of Unity at the 3rd of October

&nbsp;We have in the Sarthe, our region, the famous Loué chickens, goat cheese ("la bouine": it is an ancestral recipe, made from cheese leftovers, to which we add fresh cream, garlic and parsley, all mixed or beaten with a fork into a spread), vegetables. We also make rillettes (made from pork)

Smoothies are very popular in Germany at the moment and you can buy them everywhere. You can make smoothies from&nbsp;leftovers, for example with broccoli...

One of our favourite smoothies is: •1 handful of spinach (about 50g/2oz), roughly chopped •100g broccoli florets, roughly chopped •2 celery sticks •4 tbsp desiccated coconut •1 banana •300ml rice milk (good dairy alternative) •¼ tsp spirulina or 1 scoop of greens powder or vegan&nbsp;protein powder (optional)

Seafood Festival Olhão e Faro

The Cubist City of Olhão is a special reference point on the Algarve tourist route. The typicality of its people, the exotic architecture, the gastronomy and its islands, are only in itself reasons for a visit. This is where the Seafood Festival takes place, held in the Olhanense Fisherman's Garden, next to the Ria Formosa, where a wide variety of traditionally cooked seafood is presented, regional sweets, handicrafts and live music. (Beatriz Iria)

Toba (Head Cheese)

Also prepared from the slaughtered pig and served at Christmas, toba is actually a pig’s stomach stuffed with gelatinous pig parts, including feet, years, skin, as well as meat from the head. All ingredients are boiled, cut into small cubes, and encased in aspic.

Soric (Pork Rind)

The tradition of slaughtering the pig is old and firmly rooted in the Romanian culture, so it comes as no surprise that we have somehow perfected the art of cooking every single part of the poor animal, including the skin. In Romania, we eat this chewy treat raw and with lots of coarse salt.

Octoberfest The Octoberfest (dialect d´Wiesn) originally takes place at the Theresienwiese in Munich, Bavaria in September and October. But all over Germany people celebrate the worldwide biggest folk festival together. There is a massive serving of beer, a lot of music (like traditional brass music and pop) as well as millions of visitors from all around the world in lederhosen (leather pants) and dirndls (dresses). The first Oktoberfest was celebrated in 1810 and today it is well-known and celebrated all around the world.

In Greece most of the people have a garden where they plant their own vegetables and fruits . More ordinary vegetables are tomatoes ,&nbsp;&nbsp;cucumbers and potatoes and more ordinary fruits are apples , orangesIn Greece most of the people have a garden where they plant their own vegetables and fruits . More ordinary vegetables are tomatoes ,&nbsp;&nbsp;cucumbers and potatoes and more ordinary fruits are apples , oranges

There are some pictures&nbsp;from my garden!

Currently, around 8.8 million tonnes of plastic waste "is destined for the oceans, which poses a threat to our planet and poses a risk to human health. In an attempt to locally reverse this situation, the direction of our School, in partnership with the Clube Eco-Escola, decided to stop selling plastic water bottles at the bar and proceeded to install several water dispensers, encouraging the school community to bring their own bottles/containers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDBzWpE1i5w

To mark this initiative, students were invited to make posters and participate in an exhibition on the topic.

Imagine if you have codfish in leftover, then you can use it to make this delicious “cakes”.

One of the most typical foods of Portugal. It consists of “old” bread with poached eggs and hot water.

Features and Benefits

Organically grown foods are 63% higher in calcium, 73% in iron and 118% in magnesium, while 29% lower in mercury, and antioxidant levels are about 30% higher than conventional. The nutrients of organic products are higher in edible parts of foods, which has a positive effect on their taste and aroma. Organic foods must be certified. Find the special label they must have on the packaging from a recognized body (nationally / globally).

Choosing organic products

- It protects your health and that of your family. - The rest of the people are exemplified and can thus gain a different philosophy of life as they learn to consume nutritious foods with greater environmental awareness. - You ensure the health of workers in agricultural production. - Reduce the ecological footprint and behave environmentally friendly.

The Christmas tree in the middle of the Alster in Hamburg

Christmas is the most important holiday in Germany. Most cities decorate the streets with lights and Christmas trees. Families come together and celebrate Christmas Eve on the 24th of December. Children believe that Santa Clause comes through the fireplace to lay presents underneath the tree. Parents often dress up like him to keep them believing. Christians celebrate this day to honour the birth of Jesus Christ, they read the Christmas story together, assemble a Christmas scene or watch a children’s play in the church. But for most families Christmas is a time to come together, forget all worries and follow the personal traditions

Just a short ferry ride away from Agios Nikolaos is the island of Spinalonga, an old Venetian fortress, turned to a leper colony in the beginning of the 20th century.

Agios Nikolaos is probably best known as a tourist town that serves as a hub to the twenty or so small villages and farms that make up that part of Lassithi.

Near Agios Nikolaos lies Elounda, a town with some of the most luxurious hotels in the world.&nbsp;

Agios Nikolaos is a coastal town of 15.000 inhabitants on the&nbsp;island of&nbsp;Crete, lying east of the island's capital,&nbsp;Heraklion. The town was settled in the late&nbsp;Bronze Age by&nbsp;the Dorian occupants of&nbsp;the ancient city of Lato. The name Agios Nikolaos means&nbsp;Saint Nicholas. The town got its name from the byzantine church of St Nicholas.

The town has&nbsp;three faces to the sea: The Lake and port, Kitroplatia beach and the Marina. Its unique features start with the&nbsp;lake&nbsp;"Voulismeni", a folklore-inspiringly deep body of water, which is connected to the sea by a narrow inlet. It is surrounded and overlooked by cafes and restaurants - a busy gathering place for local residents and visitors alike.

Tomato : There are 2 vitamins in tomato: vitamin A and vitamin C. Tomatoes are the most popular in Greece because its too easy to plant. Potato : In Greece we eat a lot of potatoes. Also Potatoes have vitamin C. Cucumber : they are also famous because if a cucumber weights 100gr then it contains 92,5 gr of water Onion : onion is famous in Greece because when you eat it you will burn its like hot peppers

With all those vegetables you make the famous Greek salad that contains tomatoes , cucumbers , onions , peppers , feta [feta is Crete's national cheese ] Also there are a food called Gemista . Gemista are tomatoes which we take off the inside and then we fill those with rice. There are also more vegetables that we use to Gemista like potatoes, peppers and more

“Europia, Building new European dreams” Short-term exchanges of groups of pupils C5 EUROPIA between Earth and Sea Palermo, 15 – 17 December 2020

Tuesday 15/12/2020 &nbsp; 10 a.m. WELCOME CEREMONY for all (link to be announced) &nbsp; 10:30 a.m. WARM-UP students talk to each other individually on "<a href="http://wonder.me/">wonder.me</a>". &nbsp; 10:45 a.m. LET'S GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER Group work in 6 internationally mixed breakout rooms (1-2 students from each country): o&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;presentation of the videos of our schools and home towns &nbsp;&nbsp; 12:00 a.m. LET’S PLAY KAHOOT TOGETHER ABOUT THE EUROPIA BOOK &nbsp; 1:00 p.m. COORDINATORS’ MEETING &nbsp; &nbsp;

Wednesday 16/12/2020

10 a.m. PRESENTATION OF LOCAL DISHES &nbsp;students watch finished videos uploaded on padlet = digital cook book 10:30 a.m. VIDEO MEETINGS &nbsp;meeting in small groups (break-out rooms) from first day to discuss food videos &nbsp; 11:00 a.m. LIVE COOKING EVENT - course instructed by the Italian students &nbsp; 12:30 a.m. LET’S EAT ALL TOGETHER

Thursday &nbsp;17/12/2020

10&nbsp;a.m. LET’S WRITE OUR EUROPIA Meeting in small groups (break-out rooms) from first day to write one chapter of the EUROPIA each &nbsp; 11:30 a.m. SINGING LESSON LET’S LEARN TO SING ‘VOLARE’ &nbsp; 12:30 a.m. AWARD CEREMONY FOR KAHOOT DISTRIBUTION OF PARTICIPATION CERTIFICATES &nbsp; 1:00 p.m. LET’S ALL SING ‘VOLARE’ TOGETHER TO SAY GOODBYE&nbsp;

The French students involved in the Europia project mobilized with enthusiasm to organize the sustainables days at Touchard Washington High School. Although the vegan day was not as successful as expected, it did have the merit of making staff and students aware of the problems caused by excessive meat consumption.&nbsp;

All cities offer citizens the opportunity to sort their waste (glass, plastic or packaging), they also encourage the practice of composting.&nbsp;

On Welcome Day, that was on the 18th of December 2019, we learnt about inclusion, tolerance and diversity, we learnt about being kind towards the ones in need. Two activities were proposed in order to mark this special day. First, we participated in a creative workshop with a class of pupils with special needs. It was a great opportunity for our students to find more about life, to discover realities that they hadn’t been into contact with, to develop new skills. They worked in groups with the pupils with special needs, they guided them and helped them in order to achieve the final results of the activity, that was creating Christmas postcards. Second, we organised a charity show during which we collected money for some children in need. Once again, our students were taught about kindness and inclusion. It was amazing to see how strong we are if we accept and help each other!

How to create and live, between European partners, an experience of common sharing?

Very moved by the traditional Greek dances, during our mobility in Crete, we were also thinking about a form of corporal expression to allow the Europia group, during the reception in France, to live a strong moment with our partners. It did not seem relevant to us to look for traditional dances in France, as our students did not know them. We then turned to contemporary dance, with the help of Céline Guinot, cultural mediator of the theater Les Quinconces- L'Espal in Le Mans. Our choice finally came down to the choreography "Rosas Danst Rosas" by Teresa de Keersmaecker. The world-famous piece was shared by the choreographer, inviting dance lovers to send their interpretation of Rosas on the artist's website: "Re: Rosas! The fabuleus Rosas Remix Project". This device allowed us to create events in the form of happenings: the first one took place in the city center of Le Mans, in front of the theater, and the second one in our high school at the 10 o'clock break. Our performances were thus able to be appreciated by a very large audience.

<a href="https://www.rosasdanstrosas.be/fr/2020/02/">https://www.rosasdanstrosas.be/fr/2020/02/</a> With the help of professional dancers, our international group of 100 dancers was able to live an extraordinary artistic experience. We shared the same energy, the same rhythm, the time of a dance, while being free to express ourselves individually. This French mobility was truly an intense experience. It required a great deal of involvement on the part of the organizing teachers. We benefited from logistical support, both from the Le Mans theater and Céline Guinot and from our school. The bursar's office, the kitchen and the management staff were also involved in the success of the project.&nbsp;This week of artistic sharing, rich in emotions, not only welded our links with our European partners, but was also an opportunity to create an original and unifying event within the school.

Untold festival - a Romanian Brand

Untold Festival is the largest annual electronic music festival held in Romania, taking place in<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluj-Napoca"> </a>Cluj-Napoca, with the main stage at Cluj Arena. Untold has been designated Best Major Festival within<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Festivals_Awards"> </a>European Festival Awards 2015. Guests include a vast range of European countries, as well as Asia and North America.&nbsp;

Wurst is a speciality all over&nbsp;Germany. It‘s a fine ground meat, especially cheap cuts like&nbsp;bones, fat and everything that‘s not a steak. In Hamburg it‘s traditionally&nbsp;served with a ketchup-like&nbsp;curry-sauce and Fries.

A mash of pickled beef, for&nbsp;example parts of the belly and&nbsp;leg meat and fat, pickles and&nbsp;red cabbage. It‘s traditionally served with&nbsp;salad and pickled herring.

Here are the activities that the Romanian team proposed to the partners:

Since 2018 Palermo has officially entered into a food donation program for the recovery and reuse of the food surpluses produced on board the "Costa Cociere" ships. The project, born from the collaboration between "Costa Crociere" and "Fondazione Banco Alimentare Onlus", allows the collection of food prepared (but not served) in the restaurants of the ships and its distribution to local organizations that provide assistance to people in need.

It is in favor of a culture that favors the fight against food waste and encourages the adoption of responsible behaviors: bringing food and drink home advanced and not consumed (what in the Anglo-Saxon countries is called "doggy bag"). No to the waste of food, therefore, yes to the recovery and donation of food products.

For two weeks every spring, oranges and lemons take over Menton, the Cité des Citrons (City of Lemons). There are parades of fruit-covered floats by day; by night, you’ll see 10-meter statues and models made from citrus in the Biovès Gardens. You can buy locally made drinks, jams, soaps, perfumes – all made from lemons, of course.

Fares is a company producing herbal teas and herbal medicines in Romania&nbsp;

Polyfloral Honey it is considered by most experts as being to complete honey,being used in the treatment of many diseases and disorders. The composition: the vitamins B and C, enzymes, organic acids (lactic acid, gluconic acid) and several minerals (iron, phosphorus, calcium, potassium). It is easy to assimilate because of its glucose, sucrose and fructose. Polyfloral honey has a value of 3,000 kcal energy to 1 kilogram. Even if it is crystallized its healing properties are not lost. Experts recommend honey to be consumed in moderation, two to three teaspoons mixed with milk or fruit, two to three times a day. This type of honey is recommended for treating anorexia due to its content rich in iron.

CAREFULLY SELECTED RECIPES Confiture, jam, compote, plum jam, pickles... all of our products are like no others. Every new recipe translates into a new jar of pure, natural goodness. After our marmalade’s success, we steadily worked on our recipes, enriched them and carefully preserved them over the years.

Organic products have a proven positive impact on human health and the environment. The production of organic products is based on natural ways and technical cultivation, on the non-use of fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, antibiotics or hormones and on the use of alternative forms of protection, while supporting the preservation of its natural balance and fertility.

Organic foods are considered to be safer than conventional (lower nitrate concentration and a ban on genetic modification) and provide the necessary elements for the well-being and development of children, free of toxic agents.

Faro is an historic and culturally rich city, located in the south of Portugal, opened to the Ria Formosa lagoon.

The walls that surrounded the town in Moorish and Medieval times; the vestiges of the past still to be seen in churches and museums; the refreshing green of gardens beside the Ria and the sea; the outline of noble residences that bear witness to Faro’s splendor in centuries past; narrow streets of whitewashed houses that recall the town’s Moorish heritage: these are among the sights to be savored on a walk around Faro, a city where there is lots to see, to enjoy and to remember.&nbsp;

In Portugal there&nbsp;are also many traditions and I agree Christmas is one of the most beautiful ones! Portuguese families cook many traditional recipes like "perú recheado", "bacalhau com batatas e couve", "polvo à lagareiro" and sweets like "bolo rei","rabanadas", "filhoses de Natal", "sonhos" and many others. The join all together for Christmas dinner and after that they open the gifts. At midnight we celebrate Christmas going to a typical mass "missa do galo". We decorate our homes with many lights, Christmas tree and Christmas crib. All the cities are illuminated.

Workshop on pottery

Workshop on traditional handcraft

Singing our Europian Anthem “Together we are strong”

Starting our traditional wedding

In France we have many traditional meat dishes such but generally we use good meat. It must be said, however, that this is lost in today’s families, who eat the European way (fast food or simpler and lighter).

Pot au feu is an emblematic dish of French cuisine. We cook beef for a long time over low heat with a vegetable broth (cabbage, leek, carrot, onion, celeris and the bouquet garni)

Boeuf Bourgignon is also a traditional dish of French cuisine. It is beef cooked in red burgundy vine, mushroom, onions and lardons, often accompanied by potato, carrot or green bean.

Among perfumes, colors and flavors from around the world, the Cous Cous Fest, one of the most interesting culinary events of the summer in San Vito Lo Capo taking place since 1998, The Cous Cous Fest, festival of cultural integration, arises from the desire to put around a simple dish of Mediterranean cuisine, the passion for food, cultural exchange, integration among peoples and a lot of good music. An important challenge which focuses for 10 days, at the end of September, the interest of the whole culinary world and beyond.&nbsp; San Vito Lo Capo is located in the western part of the Sicily

The Archway “Arco da Vila” marks the entrance to The Old City.

As part of the study of the 17 Sdgs through the "EUROPIA" programme, we declared the 19th of February 2020 as the “day of recycling”. Our students made a poster for recycling on a piece of cardboard, by placing the lids of the water bottles they use at school, making the recycling sign. A second poster was placed on the board of our environmental team, created by the student Sideri Dimitra. On this day, the students also made boxes for recycling and placed them in each classroom. Some students then took on the responsibility of the often emptying the recycling bins of each class into the large plastic, paper and aluminum recycling bin located in the schoolyard. In this way all the students of the school, after being informed by our environmental team about the benefits of recycling, agreed to participate in this effort and to contribute as active citizens.&nbsp;

We, Romanians, also celebrate Oktoberfest. This year, the festival has taken place in Brasov on Sunday, the 18th of November 2018. It all started in 2009. Along the years the festival took place in other cities from Romania too (e.g. Bucharest and Timisoara). It wasn’t such an important event at the beginning but, little by little, it developed and it is today a quite important festival in our country. Oktoberfest, the well-known beer festival, receives each year tens of thousands of visitors who also have the opportunity to taste traditional Romanian and German dishes. Oktoberfest doesn’t only mean food and beverages, it also means having fun, attending concerts, buying souvenirs. Kids can also attend this festival and enjoy themselves by taking rides in the fun fair’s machines.

Valentine's Day is a very old holiday, but even today we still have some rituals, such as sending cards or donating flowers and chocolates. Often dedicate to the person you love.

Labor Day is a French day in honour of the workers, which is why for a day most French people do not go to work that day. She is a celebrity on May 1st in France and in many countries. What is the symbol of thrush? As every year, it is customary to offer a bit of thrush to his loved ones on May 1st. Arriving in Europe in the Middle Ages, this fragrant (and toxic) flower is native to Japan. Symbolizing the return of spring, it is even synonymous with good luck in some cultures.

Our World Heritage Sites

It was a mosque in Islamic times and converted into a cathedral church by Roberto the Guiscardo after the conquest of Palermo (1072).

It is clearly inspired by Moorish architecture. The name Zisa itself derives from the Arab term&nbsp;al-Azīz, meaning "dear" or "splendid”.