This field trip was organized by our physics teacher, as it helps students understand the laws of physics we learn about in school. We believe educational trips like this increase learning outcomes as well as have a positive impact on the student’s perception of the learning experience.

The trip started with touring and learning about the capital city of Slovenia, Ljubljana, where we explored the beautiful centre of the city and visited Pipers’ Tower and the Viewing tower. Since the view from the towers truly is picturesque, we all took a moment just to stop and enjoy in it.  Then we went to the “House of Experiments”, toured it and attended interesting physics presentations on gas laws.

The main objective of this educational tour was to allow students to explore physics in a fun and interesting way for learning purposes. It can be concluded that the trip was successful and we can say that our objective was achieved. All of us learned something new and beneficial but most importantly we all had fun and got to socialize with our classmates which strengthens our friendships.

Written by: Larissa Ribarić and Katia Butorac (class 2 AT)

Edited by: Sanja Bura, March 2024

Junior and senior students of our school participated in a project “Čakavština va mojen kraju” and in the translation project which has been carried out in our school continuously. Both projects involve English and Croatian lessons.

Translating is both challenging and creative work which requires not only proficient knowledge of a language (English and Croatian), but also a lot of enthusiasm.  This is especially true when talking about translating poetry, and even more so when translating regional poetry which is not written in standard language but in dialect.

This time students translated two popular poems written in Chakavian dialect by Drago Gervais. Students Josipa Mihaljević and Valentina Kolar from class 4D translated the poem “Pod Učkun” whereas their junior colleagues Matea Mijolović and Tara Zahija translated “Tri nonice” under the guidance of their teachers Sanja Bura, Teo Grlica and Tina Udović.  Below you can read original poems written in 1929 and their translations in English and see for yourselves  the good job our young translators did!

Sanja Bura, August 2023

U leksikografskoj i metodičkoj praksi rječnici za učenike i studente su se dugo vremena zanemarivali. Leksikografi su sastavljali obimne rječnike u kojima se učenici nisu mogli snaći; često su ti rječnici bili pretrpani nepotrebnim dodatnim podatcima (npr. o etimologiji neke riječi), učenici nisu znali izvući potreban podatak zbog kompliciranog sustava oznaka u rječnicima, itd. Osim toga, istraživanja su pokazala da se u školama učenicima nije pokazalo kako koristiti rječnike, što je dovelo do paradoksa da oni kojima su rječnici namijenjeni, te iste rječnike ne mogu koristiti zbog nerazvijenih vještina korištenja rječnika (tzv. reference skills).

Stoga se suvremena leksikografija uvelike okrenula korisnicima rječnika tj. podatci u rječnicima se nastoje prezentirati na jednostavan i svima dostupan način (tzv. user-friendly dictionaries). Također se više pozornosti obraća stvarnim potrebama korisnika, odnosno vrše se istraživanja s ciljem utvrđivanja što je to što učenici i studenti najčešće traže u rječniku (je li to značenje riječi, pisanje, izgovor, itd.). Nakladničke kuće tiskaju i pojednostavljene rječnike namijenjene različitim uzrastima korisnika (npr. početnici, srednji stupanj, napredni korisnici), ali i rječnike namijenjene različitim profesijama (npr. rječnici tehničkog, medicinskog, pomorskog nazivlja) te rječnike različitih jezičnih područja (npr. rječnik idioma, slenga, frazalnih glagola, itd.).                            

Činjenica da neki učenici ne koriste rječnik nije isključivo povezana s  njihovom slabijom jezičnom kompetencijom. Rječnici mogu djelovati zastrašujuće upravo stoga što sadrže mnoštvo podataka. Već je ranije rečeno da su istraživanja pokazala kako učenici vrlo često nisu poučeni kako koristiti rječnike.  

Ovaj članak opisuje kako poučiti učenike korištenju tiskanih rječnika iako se u novije vrijeme sve češće koriste rječnici u digitalnom obliku. Međutim, da bi učenik mogao ispravno koristiti rječnik u digitalnom obliku, mora biti upućen u osnovne leksikografske konvencije, a za to su najpogodniji upravo tiskani rječnici. U nastavi smo puno puta vidjeli kako korištenje online rječnika može dovesti do grešaka u prijevodu.

U radu s rječnicima u učionici možemo koristiti različite vježbe. Ovdje treba naglasiti da se za izvođenje tih vježbi koriste jednojezični rječnici iako naši učenici češće koriste dvojezične rječnike. Jedna od najčešćih i najjednostavnijih vježbi koje se  provode na nastavi Engleskog jezika jest da učenici najprije čitaju rečenice s nepoznatim riječima. Nakon toga učenici dobivaju isječak iz rječnika koji sadrži te nepoznate riječi. Potom učenici sami čitaju tu rječničku natuknicu i odabiru ispravno značenje nepoznatih riječi.

Vježbe kojima učenike upoznajemo s leksikografskim konvencijama su vrlo korisne te nadasve potrebne. Sastoje se u tome da učenicima podijelimo nekoliko rječničkih natuknica te zatražimo da ispišu sve podatke koje iz tih natuknica mogu iščitati (npr. vrstu riječi, značenje, oblike za prošlo vrijeme, itd.). Dakako da prije toga moramo postupno upoznavati učenike s tim konvencijama (npr. upoznati ih sa dvije nove leksikografske oznake na svakom satu kroz određeni vremenski period). Ova vježba provodi se postupno i kontinuirano kroz dulji period i moja dosadašnja praksa pokazala je kako učenici imaju najviše poteškoća s oznakama za vrste riječi!

Još jedna česta „rječnička“ vježba sastoji se od toga da učenici dobiju riječi čije značenje ne znaju. Od njih se traži da značenje tih riječi potraže u rječniku, te u bilježnice napišu rečenice u 1. licu jednine ili množine koje sadrže te riječi. Ova vježba može se pretvoriti i u ekipnu igru. Grupa A dobiva popis riječi različit od popisa koji dobiva grupa B. Članovi obje ekipe traže značenje svojih riječi i pišu rečenice, a suprotna ekipa mora pogoditi značenje zadanih riječi na temelju pročitanih rečenica. Učenici rado sudjeluju u ovakvom obliku vježbe zbog natjecateljskog duha i timskog rada.

Razvijanje vještina korištenja rječnika možemo postići i ciljanim vježbama u kojima ćemo npr. zatražiti od učenika da provjere je li pisanje (spelling) ponuđenih riječi britanska ili američka varijanta engleskoga jezika (BE ili AE); da pomoću rječnika ispišu sinonime za ponuđene riječi; da za navedene riječi ispišu najčešće kolokacije, i sl.   

Na kraju možemo zaključiti da je navedene vježbe poželjno provoditi redovno, posebno u prvom razredu srednje škole ako, kao što je to slučaj kod mojih učenika, velik broj učenika ranije nije bio upućen kako koristiti rječnike. Time ćemo postići dvostruki učinak: učenike ćemo osposobiti da samostalno pronađu određeni podatak te ćemo korištenje rječnika učiniti sastavnim djelom učenja stranog jezika.

Napisala: Sanja Bura

Written by: Sanja Bura

MY FOUR YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL

Choosing secondary school I would attend for four years wasn’t really difficult  for me.  As a child I used to play with Lego bricks putting together cube buildings while other girls played with dolls. I also loved to draw.  I read a lot about Civil Engineering Secondary School on the school website and I wanted to go to a bigger city because I am from a small town in Istria. No one in my family is into architecture, nor do they know anything about it, so I wanted to change family tradition and study architecture.

Being from a small town where there are not many people and arriving to a big city all by myself was a big change for me. I spent my first year in Rijeka getting to know the city, its people, their tradition and attitudes, and I liked that. In school I had to get used to new subjects and teachers who teach them. I made a lot of friends in my class and in my dorm. In my first year of high school I learned a lot about architecture, its history, its importance for the world, and about famous architects who worked wonders.

After the period of adjustment in my first year, the second year of high school passed quickly even though it was much more demanding for me in terms of studying. And then the third year started. Everything was fine at the beginning but the onset of the worldwide pandemic changed everything. I dare say that 2020 was the most difficult period in my entire life. In 2020 my parents divorced, my opinion of people changed, I had online classes and I couldn’t hang out with friends. I was locked up four times for two weeks, no family, no friends, I was alone. School was a little easier in terms of exams and testing, but there wasn’t much knowledge to be gained from online education.

I’m in fourth grade now and I don’t have online lessons anymore, we all came back to schools. As a senior, I can say that there is a lot of pressure on me and my colleagues. We have a lot of programs, exams, graduation, enrollment in college. A lot of difficult decisions about our future education and the future of our work and life await us. COVID-19 is still here but we do our best not to think about the virus and everything that happened last year.

I am grateful for these four years in this school, I learned a lot about architecture.  The teachers were there as a support and taught us about everything, not only about architecture but also about life. I haven’t made up my mind yet about what I want to study. I don’t know if it is going to be architecture or something else, but whatever it is, I hope I’ll successful in it and, beyond everything else, that I’ll be happy.

Leona Šućur, 4 AT

THE END OF ONE CHAPTER IN MY LIFE

I have been attending Civil Engineering Secondary School, department for construction engineers, for three and a half years now and with the graduation approaching and the beginning of a new chapter in my life, I often find myself thinking about the time spent in this school. I chose Civil Engineering Secondary School because my parents are engineers and I have always been interested in it. I also spoke to some of the former students of this school who had told me that I wouldn’t regret my school choice. And they were right.

My first year of high school was a bit tough because I needed some time to adjust to many new subjects, teachers and classmates. Our teachers knew that so they gradually led us into the beautiful world of architecture. In the next four years we had a number of general and vocational subjects, and as it turned out    computer science was one one pretty important subject. There we were taught how to use a drawing program called  AutoCAD which we had to use throughout our entire education and I have to admit it was a big challenge for me.

The most difficult period of high school for me was the third grade. School started as usual in September  but soon our teachers started a strike that lasted for some time. In that period we had no school and many students were happy about that but what we didn’t know was that it wasn’t going to end well. Soon after the strike had finished, a global pandemic began in March and everything was closed. We were forced to do online school. When you are going to a school such as this one, online school is not easy. Our teachers did everything in their power to help us but is wasn’t as good as real school. We couldn’t come back to school so the school year finished in June online. That year was hard for everyone. Not to mention the fact that we couldn’t go on our graduation trip that we all had been really looking forward to.

Now, in my final year, we had online classes, but luckily only for two weeks. Since we don’t know if we are going back to online school again, our teachers started working faster with us because we, the seniors, leave school earlier and there is still a lot of work to be done. Teachers are also preparing us for matura exams we are taking in June. Needless to say, we didn’t get to have our prom because of the pandemic which has probably made our generation one of the rare ones that missed out on both a prom and a graduation trip.

In conclusion,  I would like to say that this school really did fill all my expectations and in four years I learnt a lot about architecture, engineering and constructing big projects. Our teachers did a good job in preparing us for future education and we can be thankful for everything they have done for us. Now it’s up to us to make the best use of our knowledge and to create future for ourselves.

Paola Koščić, 4 AT

Texts edited by: Sanja Bura

Two senior students from class 4 G Pavle Jugović and Kenan Mujkić took part in a translating project that has been present in our school for some time now. They translated a report written by their sophomore colleagues Josipa Mihaljević and Edita Remeta about an exhibition presented within the “Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture” project. In addition to that, the text is also a contribution to the project of media coverage of the Rijeka 2020 events that our school and its students gladly participate in.

Introduction written by: Sanja Bura

“Fiume Fantastika: Phenomena of the City” is one of many interesting exhibitions in the city of Rijeka. The exhibition is a part of the “Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture” project. It covers the last 152 years of growth and reconstruction of the city and the influence of economic, political and social processes on the city’s architecture from 1868 until 2020. Creativity in using vast space is noted as well. The exhibition is set in 10 pavilions, each of which thematizes a certain Rijeka phenomenon: Port and Railway, Cinema, Palace, Borders, Monuments, etc. “Fiume Fantastika” exhibition is brilliantly presented and it’s a great mixture of classical and modern style. It also brings fascinating facts about the city so both the citizens of Rijeka and its visitors should definitely attend it.

Translated by: Pavle Jugović and Kenan Mujkić, 4G

The trip started at 8 am when we headed to Ljubljana by bus. Sleepy but excited we started our journey listening to music that was coming from the back seats. We arrived in the center of Ljubljana at half past ten and began our sightseeing tour. The tour gave us a glance into the city’s rich history and the effect it had on its later development. Among other interesting facts we learned that it was Jože Plečnik, a famous Slovenian architect, who designed significant part of Ljubljana. Having finished the tour our teachers gave us some free time which we spent in different ways; some students decided to take a walk through the town while the others rushed off to the nearest restaurants and coffee bars.

At 1.15 pm our lectures and a workshop at Hiža eksperimentov started. We took part in numerous experiments in physics and found out how they worked. We especially liked the workshop in which we made a small rocket and learned about the features of liquid nitrogen.

When the program in Hiža eksperimentov finished we had some free time again. It was getting dark so the lights went on creating holiday spirit and Christmas magic. There was a big Christmas tree at the Prešern square decorated with countless lights under which we took a lot of photos.

Unfortunately, it was time to go home. On the bus again we were listening to music and exchanging our impressions of the excursion. We returned to Rijeka late in the evening tired but happy with our field trip.

Written by: Ema Gomaz and Natali Ivanić, 2 AT

Edited by: Sanja Bura

January 2020

Pupils and teachers of the Construction Technical High School Rijeka involved in the project “Preservation of the cultural and artistic heritage of the Glagolitic legacy of the Croatian Littoral as a part of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018”, took part in the marking of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 within  the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia. The project team members are Tina Udović, teacher mentor (project manager, subject: Croatian Language), Đenka Kraljić, teacher advisor (subject: Descriptive Geometry), Sanja Bura, teacher mentor (subject: English Language) and Marina Ćupurdija, teacher advisor (subject: Supporting Structures). External partners of the school project, that brought together highly motivated students and teachers, are University Library in Rijeka and the Department of Chakavian Assembly  Krk –Kornić (Katedra čakavskog sabora – Krk – Kornić)*. Students from class 1D are especially active in participating in the project; Nina Šurlina and Nikolina Buha made transliteration of the poem “Rodu o jeziku”** by Petar Preradović whereas their classmate Martina Volarić crafted models of square Glagolitic letters accompanied with information on the Baška Stone Tablet and Glagolitic Script. A student from class 2D created an educative poster of the Baška Stone Tablet model along with transliteration of citations from obligatory school reading list. The implementation of this project will be continued through further work by students, research into the Glagolitic legacy of the Croatian Littoral, exhibitions and visits to nearby historic Glagolitic sites.

Student Martina Volarić made a model of square Glagolitic letters accompanied   with information on the Baška Stone Tablet and Glagolitic Script

A poster with transliteration of the poem “Rodu o jeziku” by Petar Preradović

Educative poster with the model of the Baška Stone Tablet and transliteration of citations from obligatory school reading list

* Croatian cultural association dedicated to preservation and promotion of Chakavian dialect, one of the three dialects spoken in Croatia; “Judita/Judith” (“The History of the Holy Widow Judith Composed in Croatian Verses” was written by Marko Marulic in 1501 in Chakavian dialect; it was also the first printed Croatian literary work (1521.)

** a poem about the importance of language for the identity of one’s nation

Translated by Ivana Kukuljan, 4 AT

Edited by Sanja Bura

Young translators Ivana Kukuljan and Edi Kačarik

 What you write is a reflection of yourself

Interview written by: Paola Čargonja

Paola Čargonja, a columnist for the school newspaper, conducted an interview with her classmate Lovro Mršić. Lovro is the author two science-fiction novels written in English and published on Wattpad. Paola’s columns are available on the website of our school newspaper whereas Lovro’s novels can be found on the following link: www.wattpad.com/user/grumpylexy.

Paola Čargonja: How did you start writing? How did you get the incentive to write, and are you aiming at a certain demographic age?

Lovro Mršić: At first, I wrote only for myself and my works, now parts of a quite comprehensive book, were hidden far away from the eyes of the public. After some time I decided to show people what I’d created. Regarding the age demographics, I’m not aiming at any specific ones. I believe that what I come up with and write in my book is appropriate for all age groups.

P: Is there an author that inspired you and sparked your idea for writing?

L: No, the idea to write on a public page came to me when I discovered Wattpad, but the website didn’t influence my writing. Therefore, I can say with certainty that what I write is my original work without an outside stimulus that could have shaped it.

P: When you mention that it’s exclusively your work, how do you manage to come up with various ideas and incorporate them into your new chapters without repeating parts of a previous chapter?

L: Well, the first few chapters were really hard to write, creating the idea itself was profoundly complicated, because at the very beginning, you have to make a foundation so to say, that will attract the audience and once you have done that, the ideas line up on their own.

P: Are you afraid that you will run out of ideas eventually? Do you have enough material for further writing or will that phase begin after you finish your current book?

L: No, I’m not afraid of the lack of ideas because they come by themselves and the moment I think of something new, I make a rough draft before I start writing seriously. As far as material is concerned, as I’ve said, I really have so many ideas that I plan on using soon.

P: Great! So you won’t keep us in suspense after you’ve finished writing this book. Do you write in a certain time of the day?

L: Of course I won’t. I usually write at night, mostly because I’ve got more time on my hands than during the day. I can find myself writing a chapter for two or three hours, but of course it depends on the weight of the chapter.

P: What impressions and reactions are you expecting from your readers? Are you expecting any certain comments?

L: Well, the current comments of my readers are all positive and everybody is waiting for a new chapter, so I hope it stays that way. I also hope that readers of mine will be glad with what I write in future.

P: We have no doubts in you! Regarding future books, will you be focusing on Sci-Fi or perhaps on a new genre?

L: I’ll hang on to Sci-Fi, of course. It is, after all, what I write best about, but the plots will definitely be different. Of course, I can’t tell you any further details, otherwise it wouldn’t be fun and interesting.

P: Of course. We’re all eagerly waiting for you to publish something new! And finally,  tell us, are you trying to send a message to your readers through your writing?

L: Well, actually, yes I do. I try to encourage my audience to think as much as I can because the plots are very realistic and they revolve around everyday lives. I try to show people how to react in certain situations.

P: Well said, I think you’re really good at it! Thank you so much! Would you like to say something for the end? Perhaps a tip for younger, aspiring writers?

L: Thank you! I do, actually. Just start writing about whatever comes to your mind and don’t be afraid. What you write is a reflection of yourself, and even though you might think at some point it’s poor writing, you develop it, give it your best shot and you’ll be amazed by what you can accomplish!

The Meštrović Pavilion in Zagreb is hosting a multimedia exhibition on Nikola Tesla, one of the most important scientists and inventors in the history of mankind. This genius had ups and downs in his career, was revered and made fun off, but his legacy is indisputable. Some of his ideas and visions formed more than 100 years ago are becoming reality in our time, so Tesla’s work is quite inspiring for all generations, but especially for young talented people with daring ideas.

The text below has been written marking the exhibition, which will be presented not only in Croatia but also abroad in some of the cities where Tesla worked. The text presents both some well known and some less known facts about the life of this visionary.

Basic facts

– born in Smiljan, Croatia on 10 July 1856

– died in New York, the USA on 7 January 1943

– profession – inventor, physicist, mechanical engineer

– best known for alternating current (AC) supply system

– created around a thousand inventions and patents

– the SI unit of magnetic flux density named after him in 1960 (the tesla)

– won numerous awards, including the prestigious Edison Medal (1917)

awareded by the  American Institute of Electrical Engineers

Nikola Tesla Memorial Centre in Smiljan

Most famous inventions

– alternating current and the induction motor

– Tesla coil

– wireless power transfer

– bladeless /Tesla turbine

– rotating magnetic field

– Tesla polyphase system

Induction motor

Tesla in front of his transformator  in Colorado Springs

Tesla turbine

Interesting facts most people don’t know about Tesla

Nikola Tesla (1890)

* Born during a thunderstorm

Tesla was born around midnight during a great thunderstorm on the night between 9 and 10 July 1856. The legend says that a midwife who delivered him thought the storm was a bad omen and had thus proclimed Tesla ” a child of darkness”, to which his mother had said: “No! He will be the child of light.”

* Was funny

Even though a lot of people think of Tesla as a serious scientist with no sense of humour, that wasn’t quite true. One of the episodes in this life that proves he was witty was when after one dinner with the famous writer Rudyard Kipling he wrote a lettter to a friend saying that the “inkspiller” (meaning Kipling) had invited him to dinner in an obscure hotel where he was “most likely served hairs and cockroaches in his soup”.

On another occasion he “rushed” another famous writer Mark Twain to toilet. He was demonstrating to Twain a machine he had developed (a kind of earthquake machine that later turned out to be high frequency oscillator), when Twain stood on the platform of that machine. He endured only 90 seconds before he had to go to toilet.

Mark Twain in Tesla’s lab in 1895

*Couldn’t stand pearls

As many other geniuses, Tesla had his quirks. One of those was his repulsion of pearls. He couldn’t stand pearls and he wouldn’t even talk to women who wore them. On one occasion he even sent his secretary home from work for having worn them! He himself on the other hand, wore white gloves for dinner every day and was very proud of his style.

*Had photographic memory

Tesla could memorize entire books and it seems it was a quality that was passed down from his mother who was known for her excellent memory. Because of this he wasn’t inclined towards taking notes.

Tesla’s mother Đuka Tesla

*Was a germaphobe

Having suffered from cholera at a young age, Tesla paid great attention to hygiene to the point it bordered phobia.

*Was worried about Earth

Tesla thought people were using Earth’s resources too fast and was trying to find a way to reuse those resources. He studied ways of acquring energy from air in order to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels.

*Had only four cents in his pocket upon arrival in New York

When Tesla arrived in New York in 1884 he only had four cents in his pocket and a letter of recommendation from his former supervisor Charles Batchelor, a manager at Edison Machine Works in Paris. The letter said: “My dear Edison: I know two great men and you are one of them. The other one is this young man.“

*Wasn’t sworn enemy with Thomas Alva Edison

Contrary to what most people think, Tesla and Edison weren’t sworn enemies. They were rivals who respected each other. When Tesla’s laboratory burned down, Edison let him use his.

Nikola Tesla and Thomas Alva Edison – rivals

*Had birthday parties with members of press

When Tesla turned 75, one friend of his organized a party for the inventor. Tesla received congratulatory letters from all the important scientists and engineers of that time, including Albert Einstein. He also appeared on the cover of Time magazine. The party went so well that after that Tesla made it an annual event.

Tesla on the cover of Time magazine in 1931

with the caption “All the world’s his power house“

*Received honour at funeral

The mayor of New York City Fiorello La Guardia read a eulogy written by an author Louis Adamic live over the WNYC radio in honour of Tesla. His funeral was attended by 2000 people.

New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia

Sanja Bura, December 2017

A diary of our journey in France and Spain

This year all four senior classes from our school decided to go on a school leavers’ excursion together. Our final destination was Spain, but we also visited parts of France. We’d had a fantastic time so we decided to share with our schoolmates the diary of our trip.

Day 1

On the 30th August 2017, at 6 am, sleepy but excited, we boarded our luggage on the bus and started our seven-day journey. After a long and exhausting ride we finally arrived to Monaco. Passing through this high-end principality we saw huge luxurious buildings stacked on top of each other, each built in its own architectural style. Our first stop was a perfume factory in Èze. After seeing what it had to offer and, of course, smelling all the different fragrances, we went back to Monaco to explore it a bit more. As expected, there were high buildings, expensive cars, huge yachts and diamond filled roads, but to see it in person was amazing. Our next destination was Cannes, a town famous for its international film festival, where our hotel was located. Hungry and exhausted we decided it was time for a proper meal, and so began our scaterred search for food in the city flooded with tourists. Our hectic first day ended with a good night rest at the hotel.

A panorama of Monaco

Day 2

After having breakfast, we continued the journey across France until we reached our first stop in Spain, Figueras. Figueras is known worldwide as the birth town of a surrealistic artist Salvador Dalí. There we visited his museum which was very interesting because Dalí is known for his odd creations.  Although we didn’t have much time we tried to see as much as we could in this unique museum, and it was amazing to get a glimpse of the life of such an extraordinary man. Having left the museum we got soaked to the skin by the downpour of rain but we didn’t mind it at all. It didn’t take us long to reach Lloret de Mar where we would be located for the majority of our trip. Later in the evening we were taken to a fabulous Flamenco show. They served us sangria, traditional Spanish drink, while we were watching the dancers perform. The highlight of the evening was when our classmates were called on the stage to perform with professionals. When the show ended we headed off to clubs.

Entrance to Dali’s museum in Figueras

Sunset in Lloret de Mar photographed from our hotel room

Day 3

The next day we could sleep in until noon, which was generally welcomed by all the students. After lunch we left for panoramic sightseeing of Barcelona. We saw the famous Sagrada Familia, a life-time work of Antoni Gaudí. Later we arrived at the aquarium where we spent about two hours looking at mesmerising Mediterranean sea life, followed by a short stop at the Olympic stadium. After that our next destination was Gaudí ‘s park Guell which has amazing mosaic, the world’s longest bench and small green parrots that inhabit the area. The last thing on our list was the magic fountain show. Beautiful fountains followed by lights and music left all of us speechless. Then we headed to our hotel and, even though it was way past midnight when we arrived to Lloret de Mar, we all got dresssed up and went on with our night.

Gaudi’s masterpiece La Sagrada Familia

Some of the many species of fish at the aquarium

A view of Barcelona from Parc Guell

Day 4

The fourth day was a relaxing day. We set out for picturesque Tossa de Mar, which was 15 minutes away. We split into two groups, those who wanted to rest and swim on a beautiful beach and those who wanted to sightsee and explore the town. After lunch we headed off to Water World, an aquapark a couple of minutes away from our hotel. We spent the afternoon there having fun at countless pools and water slides. Before going clubbing we had some extra time to explore Lloret de Mar and its numerous souvenir shops.

Tossa de Mar with its fort and a beautiful sandy beach

Day 5

The next day started with another visit to Barcelona, only this time we were exploring the town on foot. We saw La Rambla, the statue of Columbus, the Gothic Quarter, city hall, the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, Picasso’s frieze and a lot more. Our long waited free time in Barcelona finally arrived, which we all used to shop around. In the afternoon we left for Montserrat, a famous sanctuary located high up the mountain and in which the statue of Black Madonna is kept. The view from the top of that monastery was breathtaking. Coming back to Lloret de Mar everyone was getting ready for our last night out.

Montserrat, a famous sanctuary

Day 6

The morning came and with it time to head back home. We packed our suitcases and sadly parted our ways with Lloret de Mar, where we had such a great time. Arriving to France once again, this time we visited Avignon, a beautiful small town in Provence, which used to be the seat of the Pope. Nice was the next stop on our itinerary. After arriving there and leaving our luggage at the hotel we went out to eat. Needless to say, we were too tired for some extra sightseeing, so upon finishing our dinner we went  to our hotel rooms to get some rest that we all needed.

Avignon, the seat of the Pope in the 13th century

Day 7

Our last day together started with a relaxing walk through the centre of Nice. We saw the world famous English Promenade, vivid open air market place, the Negresco hotel – one of the most expensive hotels in France, the spacious Massena Square, etc.  Then we got on the bus and started to make our way home. We arrived to Croatia late. We were tired and a bit sad that our journey had come to an end. We had a lot of fun, learned a lot and spent a lot of time with friends. With great drivers and a fantastic guide, and of course our teachers, it couldn’t have been bad. All in all, it was a trip that will definitely stay in our memories forever.

La Promenade des Anglais (The English Promenade) – a broad walkway in Nice

Written and photographed by: Sara Kurnoga and Mia Matrljan, 4D