Rostock, Germany, 2013. 09. 18 – 20.
All the participants arrived in Rostock by late afternoon, and checked in to the nice hotel in the historic centre of Rostock. We took a short walk to the restaurant nearby, while enjoying the brief introduction to the “Neue Markt” where the restaurant was located. The first real encounter with the German culture was when we tasted the local beer at the restaurant. It was delicious – just like the food. The “Rostock by night” walk after dinner was optional.
Next morning at the Citizens’ Community Centre the programme started with a short icebreaking game, which was a lot of fun – though the climate was not icy at all. After the participants learned each other’s names a bit, the national groups gave their presentations on summer festivals. We realized once again, how much we have in common, no matter how far we live from each other in Europe. Along the similarities we could also see the slight differences which make our traditions, festivals, national and local.
We had a rich and typical eastern European soup for lunch called “Soljanka” made by the German participants, then headed to the city centre for a guided tour in three different groups. The tours went by the major sights of Rostock, and ended up at the river bank, where we had a really unique dinner on the top floor of a renovated dock house, with beautiful view to the river.
We had a rich and typical eastern European soup for lunch called “Soljanka” made by the German participants, then headed to the city centre for a guided tour in three different groups. The tours went by the major sights of Rostock, and ended up at the river bank, where we had a really unique dinner on the top floor of a renovated dock house, with beautiful view to the river.
The last day started with optional workshops, where participants had a chance to choose from dancing, singing, doing origami, cooking, and making friends in English. After the workshops, the different groups showed the others what they had gained during the workshops. Everybody could show some talents, and some might have found even a new hobby! Finally we ate what the cooking workshop created for lunch. It was a real “Back to the Future” feast: German recipe, International chefs.
In the afternoon, we took a boat trip to the seaside at Warnemünde. We walked on small streets, visited the lighthouse at the edge of the town. It was a bit cold (around 14 °C), but it could not stop the bravest to have an icecream on the promenade.
We got back to Rostock for dinner and to say good bye to each other.
We got back to Rostock for dinner and to say good bye to each other.
See you in Barcelona!