Day 1 and 2

Well we are all in beautiful sunny Portugal!  Sorry for the delay in blogging we have experienced technical hitches at the hotel with the wi fi connection so we are using the schools computer today.  We are unable to add photos at the moment but we will try again later.

We had a very early start leaving school at silly o'clock.  We had a good journey to London Gatwick but did get caught in a little traffic which meant we had a quick jog to the check in!  We were first onto the plane and got to pick our seats.  We all enjoyed the flight and enjoyed various sweets and snacks. The girls were fantastic on the plane and Mrs Cork enjoyed her first ever flying experience.  When we landed we were greeted by three of the teachers from the local schools, including Mario, who very kindly helped us with our luggage (some were heavier than other mentioning no names Mrs LLewelyn-Leach!)

We checked into our hotel and unpacked then went for a walk to the local beach, which was beautiful, where we noticed there were some lovely handbag and shoe shops, the girls have already banned us from window shopping which seems a little harsh to me! The sun was shining and we had an ice cream and a drink and a run around.  We also tried to skim some stones into the sea, where we watched some locals surfing.  We headed back to the hotel for a quick freshen up then met up with the French and Scottish staff and children.  We all went out for dinner to a local Portugeuse restaurant.  We had Chicken, chips and salad followd by ice cream for those who wanted it. It was a long day and we were all worn out so in bed by 10ish!

Today we are visiting the local Portuguese school EB2,3 de Santiago where children from the ages of 10 to 15 attend.  We enjoyed some traditional music and singing from the children and have been made to feel very welcome.  We have had a tour of the school and had lunch with our new international friends.  We have seen some familiar faces; Anna one of the pupils recognised us and asked if Catherine was with us. Our girls have been fantastic, making friends and socialising with all the international children.  They have caused quite a stir with their blonde hair and blue eyes.  We are off to explore the sights of Oporto this afternoon including port wine cellars of the region, don't worry we won't let the teachers sample too many of the local delights! You never know we might even visit a shop or two!

Lots of love to all Mrs Nicholls, Mrs LLewelyn-Leach, Mrs Cork, Maddison, Maddie, Lucy, Emily, Holly and Nicole. xxxxxx