On Monday, May 23rd, the last mobility in the Erasmus SMART project officially started in Croatia. We met with other international groups from Lanzarote, Catania, Dinan, Izmir and Bol in the harbor of Split. We went to Krka National Park by bus. On the bus we had the opportunity to hear all the important stories about Split and its surroundings, as well as from the national park itself from our guide, Josip. The Krka River, in addition to the natural beauty of its canyon, also features a rich cultural and historical heritage, bearing witness to the co-existence of humans and nature from prehistoric times to the modern era. After heavy rains in the past weeks, we sadly couldn’t explore the largest part of the national park, only the entrance area where the mills are located. The mills on the Krka River typologically belong to water-power mills, and they belong to the system of pre-industrial mechanisms. In the life of all the inhabitants of Dalmatia, in the Middle Ages and beyond, they were extremely important. Afterwards we visited the town of Sibenik, a city on the Adriatic coast of Croatia. It´s known as a gateway to the Kornati Islands. One of the most famous monuments in Sibenik is the 15th-century stone Cathedral of St. James which is decorated with sculptured faces. After a lunch of traditional Croatian food, we returned to the harbor of Split and took a catamaran to Brac, the island where our partner school is located. (Nika, 7e)

Tuesday was our first day of real work in school “Srdnja Skola Bol” where we started to learn about tourism and how to promote our countries. Ms. Trivanovic, one of the Croatian teachers, greeted us in all our languages (Spanish, Turkish, Italian, German and French). After that Mr. V. Martinic the accommodation manager of the Bluesun Hotels, which we are also guests of, gave a speech. He talked about tourism in Croatia, and how they recruit guests (possibilities of arrival, beauty of nature, events for companies…) as well as about the importance of preserving nature, especially their beaches – a task which is paramount for the economy of the island. After that we were split into three international groups. The first task of my group was to think of what a good hotel for businessmen aged 30-40 years old should offer. The second task was to promote Austria at a tourism fair. Besides the travel guides which were produced during past mobilities we chose to teach waltz and to offer interactive Klimt selfies. Another group had to do a promotion video where each of the participating countries was showcased. The final group prepared a roleplay about a legend in Bol. They also visited the location in which they were supposed to perform the play on Friday. After 4 pm we went to the famous beach “Zlatni Rat“ which translates to “Golden Horn” and changes its form – depending on the conditions of the current and the wind. It was magnificent! (Anton, 7e)

We started off Wednesday like any regular school day. After some tasty breakfast in the hotel, we set off to school which was located in a walking distance of ten minutes. In school, we started working on our group projects like on Tuesday. Group one was continuing to memorize their lines for their upcoming theatre play “a house in a house”. Group two was working on their tourist stall and the members of group three were working on their promotion video, the aim of which was to represent each country from the project. After class, we left and relaxed in the hotel. Towards the end of the day, the Croatian group invited us to join them on an excursion to the city centre in Bol. It was very fun, and it definitely made everyone grow closer. (Jakub, 7e)

Our Thursday morning started with a hiking tour to the Croatian ‘’Dragon´s Cave’’ in Murvica. The unique cave above the village features a stunning relief carving of a dragon on its tail. Only a guided tour enables people to explore the cave and learn about its history and legends. The walk was about five kilo meters and had an elevation of 300 meters. For some it was hard getting up, but we all made it to the end. Our guide Zoran Kojdic shared a lot of knowledge with us. Such as telling us how the architecture of the cave represents fertility to explaining us that the different sculptures that can be found there were made by different people. After visiting the cave, a mini-train took us back to Bol. In the afternoon we met in school again to continue working on our projects while the teachers held their final meeting. At the end of the day, we went to the city centre with some of our new friends.  (Ioana, 7e)

Friday was our last day, so we went to school at 8 am and started to present our weekly results. The first international group showed us their promotional video about all the participating countries. The Austrian part focused on monuments in Vienna and traditions such as the “New Year’s Concert”. After they were finished, group two invited us to take a look at the tourism fair stalls. In addition to general information about Austria, visitors could learn to waltz at our stall or take a selfie with the famous Klimt painting „The Kiss“ as a souvenir.  The third group prepared a play which they performed at the original locations such as the „Haus im Haus“ or the king’s stairs (built in honor of Emperor Franz Joseph). The librarian and keeper of the cultural heritage of Bol and the island of Brac Mrs. Jadranka Nejasmic helped with her knowledge and let us know about some interesting facts during preparation. The final part of our school day was the certificate ceremony with all teachers and the students. At the end we had a lovely Croatian chocolate cake and we had to say goodbye to our international friends. (Linda, 7e)

Finally, I´d like to thank all our partners from Lanzarote (Teno and Bea), France (Chari and Philippe), Turkiye (Erkan and Emine), Croatia (Petra and Rovena), Italy (Daniela and Renato) for a wonderful three-years project with a lot of memories and outstanding activities during our mobilities. All that would not have been possible without the hard work of our coordinator Silvana Raccuia, many thanks for your kindness and patience over the years. Last but not least, I´d like to thank our wonderful students for their interest in other countries, cultures and people. May all the new friendships last for long. (Sabine Plattensteiner)