Meeting in Palermo
On the 15. of March we started our journey to Palermo. The students Oliwia Czerwonka, Þóra Björg Ingvarsdóttir, Breki Freyr Albertsson. The teachers Anna María Kortsen Þorkelsdóttir, Jóhanna Rakel Sveinbjörnsdóttir, and Bogi Franzson. After three air flights, we landed at Palermo in the evening. The students met their „foster families, and the teachers went to their hotel.
The next day the program began with a speech from the headmaster following presentations from all the participating countries. After lunch, we visited the old Norman Palace and the program ended around five o’ clock in the afternoon.
The second day we went by bus to Monreale on Monte Caputo. There we visited a beautiful Cathedral. Magnificent wall tiles (mosaic) and the buildings were a mixture of Norman and Arabic architecture. We had a workshop in creating patterns.
On the third day we divided the group into two, one group visited a house where they were repairing paintings. The other visited a church where they were repairing some decorations inside. After lunch, we had the afternoon free.
On the fourth day, we visited two places in the morning. The Massimo Theatre and the National Museum of Sicily. The meeting room in the theater was very interesting, especially how the sound echoed. In the National Museum, there were a lot of old objects, but the turtles in the fountain stole the scene. After the break, we went to the Palatine Chapel where we visited both the Chapel and the monastery.
On the fifth day, we all met at school. We danced and had lunch together in the gym hall. And after that students went to their „home“ and enjoyed the last evening.
The goodbyes were difficult, a lot of tears but it was good to get to know new friends and to visit the homes of Sicily.
Breki, Oliwia. Þóra