On Monday we were picked up at 8:30 and brought to a meeting place near the school. We first played games to get to know each other better. After that we presented the natural made wonders, each country separately. For Austria we chose to present the Lobau, Wienerwald, Prater and several parks in Vienna. We took a break afterwards and were given some Turkish snacks. And, to end the day, we had lunch together before we went back to our hotel. (Divine, 6e)

Tuesday, the second day of our Erasmus project, we went to the school by bus. We arrived at the destination and worked on our canva-project. After we finished our project, we had an activity where we participated in a “Ebru art” event where the instructor showed us a traditional way to do marble art with organic materials. All of us had the possibility to make our own piece of art. Around lunch time the Turkish group invited us all for lunch and after we all went with bus to look around the wonderful sights of Izmir, e.g the Konak Square and the Clock Tower, Kemeratli Bazaar or Asansör (historical elevator). We ended the tour by going to our hotel after an eventful and fun day! (Meldy 6e)

On Wednesday we got picked up by the bus at 7:30. We drove to Selçuk to see “Mother Mary´s house”. The Virgin Mary may have spent her last years here, perhaps even with the apostle St. John, according to a legend. We also got free time to buy souvenirs. After that we drove to Ephesus where we spent the most time. Ephesus is a UNESCO World Heritage site, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and is a must for history and archaeological buffs. With the famous Library of Celsus, one of the biggest libraries in the Roman world, Ephesus is a very popular attraction.

Our next stop was a market village where we had free time. When we met up, we drove to HITIT hotel for lunch. After lunch we visited th Ephesus Archaeology Museum where we saw the ancient stature of the Greek Goddess Artemis and many more. After that we drove to Şirince Village and explored the village before we returned to the hotel in the evening. (Rina, 7e)

On Thursday, a four hour bus ride took us to Hierapolis and the Pamukkale Thermal Pools. The area is famous for a carbonate mineral left by the flowing of thermal spring water. After the drive we were invited to eat at an open buffet in Denizli. We walked up a mountain to see the view of the Hierapolis Antik Kenti. Then we went to the Pamukkale (“cotton castle”) where we had some free time to explore the area. Pamukkale´s terraces are made of travertine (a sedimentary rock created by deposits of mineral water). There are 17 hot springs with temperatures ranging from warm to very hot. Some of us took a bath in one of the thermal pools. Afterwards we drove back to Izmir. (Rauda, 7e)

On Friday we got picked up by the bus and were transferred to the school (Izmir Vocational Educational Center). We finalized our e-books in international groups while the teachers held their meeting. After a break, we continued with the ceremony where gifts were exchanged and each team recieved their participation certificates. After that we drove to restaurant to have a final lunch together, than we said goodbye to the Turkish people and returned to the hotel. In the afternoon we took a ferry to explore Karsiyaka another part of Izmir. (Rina, 7e)