Thursday 26 March 2015



THE 5th MEETING IN YALOVA (TURKEY)

Day 1 


We took the bus from Oviedo at 10:00 and we arrived to Bilbao at 13:30. Then we took the flight from Bilbao at 16:50 and we arrived to Estambul at 21:45. In the AirPort we met the man who took us by car to Yalova and after two hours trip and finally we got to the hotel at 1:30 h, so we didn't see the other delegations. Our child was very nervous and tired. 

Day 2 

We wake up at 7:45 and had a great breakfast. All the delegations met at the lobby hotel at 9:00 where Ziya welcomed and introduced each other. Then we took a bus to the School and had a coffee break and exchanged presents. The mister gave us a brief speech. We enjoyed a lot with the amazing Welcoming Ceremony in conference hall and students performances. There were dancings, folk music with local instruments and Turkish songs. They are really talent! Afterthat we had sightseeing at school, it was Huge, warm and it has an enormous playground, said our child. 

During the afternoon the students went with their assigned families and the teachers visited Iznik. There we went to ceramic workshops and visited Ayasofya Museum. We spent some money on colourful souvenirs. We had a pleasant dinner near Yalova: tasty meat balls, salad and yogurt. Then we returned to the hotel. We are exhausted but we can't wait to continue discovering this country. There is too much to see and the time always flies.... 



Day 3

We wake up very early and we were very excited because it was the day when we were going to visit Istambul. After more than a couple of hours by bus and ferry we arrived to this amazing city.

We first visited the Istanbul 1453 Panorama Museum which houses the panorama painting of the conquest of Constantinople. It’s an amazing place if you are interested in the history of Istanbul from the conquest from the Byzantine Empire to the Ottomans. 

Then, we visited Topkai Palace, the largest and oldest palace in the world to survive to our day. Situated on the acropolis, the site of the first settlement in Istanbul, it commands an impressive view of the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. The treasury section of the Topkapi Palace Museum is the richest collection of its kind in the world and it was one of the things we drew attention more.

In the late morning we visited the historical Blue Mosque. It is known as the Blue Mosque because of blue tiles surrounding the walls of interior design. It is impressive and we were in awe of such beauty. After lunch we enter to visit Ayasofia and we enjoy this beautiful church. 

Then we visit The Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnıcı), , the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul and located 500 feet (150 m) southwest of the Hagia Sophia.

In the late afternoon we jumped on the bus again to go to sightseeing by ferry along the Bosphorus Strait, which joins the Black Sea in the northeast and the Mediterranean Sea in the southwest. Everybody was busy taking pictures and drinking some tea.

After a tiring day we restocked forces with a delicious dinner and returned to Yalova very tired but eager to follow enjoying this experience.



 Day 4       

This day was dedicated to the teacher’s visit to classes at the school and meeting for coordinators. In the late morning we Turkish kids had a surprise for us. They had prepared several games at the school playground and the winners were the European team!!!! The last activity this morning was the visit to Walking Villa in Yalova.

After lunch at school we visited Atatürk Villa in Yalova Termal where we could enjoy of a Turkish bath. It was an unforgettable experience!!!! Then, we had free afternoon time to buy Turkish delights.

In the late afternoon we came back to the hotel to dress-up for the Farewell Ceremony. It was in a huge restaurant where we enjoyed Turkish dishes accompanied by live music. The Turkish delegation gave some gifts to the other delegations. The evening ended with everyone dancing and singing.

 Day 5

We had to wake up at 2:30 to leave!!! After two hours by bus and ferry we got to the airport at 5:00 and we were waiting for our flight having a breakfast.

We arrived at home at 21:00, it was a really long trip but we went back to Spain with a lot of memories.

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