Agrupamento de Escolas D. Maria II Escola Básica nº2 de Lamaçães Braga Some facts about PORTUGAL: Official name: Republic of Portugal Location: Iberian Peninsula, West Europe; border with Spain and the Atlantic Ocean There are 2 islands in the Atlantic Ocean, Madeira and Azores Official Language: Portuguese Capital city: Lisbon (Lisboa), 1 million people Population: 10 million people Currency: euro
CLIMATE The climate in mainland Portugal varies from north to south and from coast to mountain. The south experiences Mediterranean weather with particularly mild winters and hot summers. Further north, the coast is warmed by the Gulf Stream, so winters are still mild and summers are warm. More inland summers are hotter but the winter temperature drops. In winter you can even find snow in Portugal. LANGUAGE Portuguese is a Latin language, so it has the origin as Spanish, French, Italian and Romanian but it s more similar to Spanish. It s a difficult language to learn. It s spoken by millions and millions of people all over the world: in Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Guiné, Cabo Verde, Timor Leste, etc. CUISINE We are proud to say that our food is one of the best! Tasty, with a great variety of spices and also of meat, fish, seafood, vegetables and fruits, it has great Mediterranean influences. Portuguese cuisine is famous for its seafood. ABOUT BRAGA: Braga (in Latin: Bracara Augusta) is a city and a municipality in the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga, in the historical and cultural Minho Province. The city has 137,000 inhabitants, and the municipality, which includes 37 civil parishes has a resident population of 181,494 inhabitants (in 2011), [1] representing the seventh largest municipality in Portugal (by population). Its area is 183.40 km². [2] Its agglomerated urban area extends from the Cávado River to the Este River. The city was the European Youth Capital in 2012. [3] It is host to the archdiocese, the oldest in Portugal. Under the Roman Empire, known as Bracara Augusta, the settlement was centre of the province of Gallaecia. Braga is a major hub for inland Northern Portugal. Hi everybody!
19th April 2017 My 1st day at school Portugal was my last destination of a tour of European countries. It all started in Turkey where I was born, then I flew to Latvia, Greece, Czech Republic, Romania, Spain and finally Portugal. I arrived to Braga after Easter holidays, on the 19th April 2017. Fátima and Clara took me out of my bed and introduced me to a big group of nice children. They were really happy to host me at their school. They asked my name. I m the EUdoll I said. I can speak 7 languages. Now you have to teach me Portuguese! And Oh my God! So much hustle and bustle 20th April 2017 Going to the playground with 4ºB class
I was so happy to go to the playground with my new friends. The weather was so nice and the sky was blue. It s hot and I m sweating! We played a lot. Both girls and boys use to play games together but the boys prefer playing football. So I sat on a bench for a while and watch them play a football match. Uauuuu! They re so good at it. They told me a secret: their dream is to become a Ronaldo in the future! Then we had to go to the classroom and to the Library. Be quiet! I heard. 3ºB Class 3ºB Class
22 and 23 April 2017 Spending the weekend with Maria Leonor, a little girl who loves music! We cooked dinner and after that, her father played the guitar in the evening. And fado, too. I loved it. The whole family was there and they also invited some neighbours to dinner. At 11 o clock we got undressed by the way, no one offered me a pyjamas! - cleaned our teeth and went to bed. We had to get up early to go to school on Monday morning. No problem! She lives quite near. So we had a nice walk to school. 25 April 2017 It s a bank holiday! No school today I learnt that this day is very important for the Portuguese. It means FREEDOM because they have had a democracy since 25th April 1974, so they celebrate it every year. So I was invited by another little girl called Beatriz. It s not easy to say her name! I stayed at her apartment with her Mum, Dad and other kids. We cooked some food
and had a picnic in her bedroom. I also tried to get some nice suntan so we sat in the balcony in the sun. No sunscreen, so I got burnt a little bit. 28th April 2017 Ready for another weekend! Maria Alexandra is so sweet! This new friend who took me home for the weekend. She s got such a nice apartment. I was fed some soup by her. And her brother was so nice to me! Uauuuuu! I d like to stay for some more days but I would move to another friend s house the next day. It s amazing! Everyone wants me to stay at their place.
At 9:30pm we had to rest and go to sleep. I was really tired but not sleepy at all. Too much excitement! As I couldn t fall asleep, I thought about the wonderful time I had in Turkey, Latvia, Greece, Czech Republic, Romania, Spain and Poland. So many friends, so many interesting traditions and cultures, such delicious food, so many different languages! But fortunetly all of them could speak English and I had to learnt it quite fast. I m definitely a very lucky girl! It s a privilege for me to be part of the European Community. I want to go on an Erasmus+ exchange program when I grow up and be at the university! Her parents told me all about it. Books are my best friends 1st May 2017 Another bank holiday This girl is called Maria Neves and she promised me to go to Bom Jesus and Sameiro Cathedral, on the top of the hill. There s an amasing view of Braga from up there. I took a horse ride in Bom Jesus and she offered me a soft strawberry ice cream. We walked in the woods and then came down in the old funicular.
5th May 2017 At the countryside I was also invited by this nice girl, Ana Carolina. She took me for a long weekend. Her family asked me many questions about my trips around Europe and gave me a lot of delicious food and sweets. I think I ve got to lose some weight now and go on a diet! 13th May 2017 My last weekend with the Portuguese This boy called Rubén was so nice to me. He took me to the beach and to Gerês, a National Park not far from Braga. He was a real gentleman My heart is tic tac, tic tac, tic tac. I d like to stay here in Portugal! Please, please!.. Let me stay here!
4ºB Class See you soon, partners! We are ready to welcome you here!