11th May - booklet and focaccia

On May 11, by 9 a.m., we spent the whole day working at school-I.I.S.S. Vivante/Pithagoras in Bari.
We had to climb those endless stairs, but always happy, we did that “sacrifice”.
We went to a computers Lab. We were divided in groups and started working. The aim was to produce and send a letter asking for the cooperation of all Portuguese schools to disseminate our project. We also produced a text of opinion on the benefits of riding a bike in Italy, and then it was sent to ZAINET magazine.

At 11:30 a.m. we were dying of hunger, so, we all went to a shop where we tasted and ate a delicious Focaccia accompanied by a cool drink as the sun was intense.
At 2:30 p.m. we returned to school and concluded the article to send to ZAINET. Finally, we tried to promote the use of bicycle in the students’ FaceBook and in our Blog.
This way we ended one more day in Bari.
Tired, we went home to meet our temporarily adoptive Italian families.

Credits:

Text by Ana Rita Costa

8th May II - Bike experience in Bari

On the 8th May 2009 we were expecting that all members of our project could go on a trip by bicycle, for 20 km. But, unfortunately, some members of the project couldn’t do that activity. Seven of the members didn’t participate on the bike trip because they were stopped at the station by the tickets controller who didn’t let us get in. We had to wait for almost one hour for the next train, and we had “to beg” to get into the train and carry our bikes with us.

But when we arrived at Bari, our friends’ train was already gone.

As we were anxious to go for a ride, we rode to the beach, together with our new Italian friends.

Although it was very funny, we would like to underline that the aim of our Comenius project is to promote the use of bicycle. So we are sorry that:

-          we have only seen one train that can transport bicycles, in Bari;

-          some tickets controllers didn’t let us get into the train with our bikes;

-          there are a lot of cars parked on both sides of the streets;

-           although there’s an agreement with local authorities about the transport of bikes in trains, it is not being respected;

-           the city is so polluted which makes the atmosphere heavier.

In conclusion, we would like that the local authorities do something in order to overcome these situations and make Bari region a truly bike friend (Bici,amici)

Credits: 

Text by Carlos Silva and Andreia Santos

8th May I - Our first bike trip in Italy

The day began with the meeting of almost all the bikers at the meeting point - the train station! 

Around 9am we took the train to Fassano and started our adventure! We cycled for 5km. Cars and bicycles were able to drive and ride together in a healthy way. After this tour, we did the first stop to eat an ice cream. We love Italian ice creams! Everybody was very excited!

Then, we pedalled for another 10 km. After we stopped for lunch and enjoyed the landscape that was truly spectacular, near the sea. 

The Adriatic Sea is really unique! And, of course, we had some relaxing time! 

Afterwards, we rode towards the Archaeological Museum. Our enthusiastic guide shared their knowledge with everyone in Italian. Then, teacher Nola translated to English and Carlos Rocha explained in Portuguese in a very bright way. The next point of interest was a Roman city

 located in Egnazia. We had a break for lunch. Then we got back to a place by the sea, with a restaurant nearby, where teachers and some students had lunch. Meanwhile, others preferred to dive in calm and transparent waters of the Adriatic Sea! 

The lack of bathing suits was not an obstacle! There were unforgettable moments!

Finally, we completed this long and tiring 20 km back to the Fassano station where we relaxed and took some pictures which are going to help us to remember this memorable day! However, during this trip, we had to overcome some difficulties such as lack of cycling paths and the lack of helmets. 

But there were many more positive things, such as: a good relationship among all the participants, drivers and bike riders, a close contact with nature, freedom provided by bike which helped us overcome some of the setbacks experienced during the day.
We just loved this ride, and Italy!

Credits: 

Photos by Ana Paula Vizinho

Text by Sara Figueiredo and Joana Marques

7th May - How to plan a trip by bike

On may 7th, 2009 at 8:30 we were all at school, to attend a workshop on "how to plan a trip by bicycle". The teacher showed us some examples of cycle paths in Italy. We were informed of security measures we should teke into account when we plan a trip by bicycle. For example, it is very important to warn someone about the itinerary. We spoke also of the safety equipment we should take, such as helmets, reflective material, the bicycle light, etc. Around 10:30 we were at Feltrinelli bookstore where we ended up eating lunch. Almost all the students bought CD's of italian music or books of italian cuisine to bring to Portugal. 

In the afternoon we went to the train station, Enziteto-Cathine where we expect a van that took us to the laboratory of ceramics. There, we painted the Saint Nicolas image.

Credits: 

Text by Pedro Andias

6th May - trip to Lecce and great dinner!!

In the morning, like we planned, everybody went to Piazza Diaz to start a new trip by bus from Bari to Lecce. After 2 hours, we stopped in a service station to eat something and to go to the WC. Some of the students ate near the bus and the others went to the service station to have a coffee or to buy something to eat. After a long trip of about 3 hours, we arrived in Lecce.

In Lecce we walked through the old streets of Baroque Lecce until the lab of ceramic where we were received by a group of artisans who were restoring statues and artifacts thoroughly.

Afterwards, we went around Lecce. At lunch time we were on our own. The teachers arranged a meeting point and in mixed groups (Italians and Portuguese) we followed our journey. Each group chose its place, which means, some went to eat ice creams and others walked around to see the city. The meeting point was in Piazza S.Oronzo but long before the arranged hour almost all the students were already in the Piazza. Then we took advantage of it, took some pictures and updated our conversations. After that we went, now in a big group, to the bus which led us back to Bari. We arrived in Bari late in afternoon and went back to our Italian homes.

At night we all met for a special dinner at Abusuan, a very important Cultural Centre in Bari. In this dinner we had the opportunity to contact with some specialties of the Puglia region in the South of Italy. 

After dinner we had a demonstration of some typical dances of this region – La Pizzica - and everyone danced!

Credits:

Text by Andreia Santos