Nature’s Mathematics – Greece

As part of the Erasmus + KA2 project “Playing with Maths”, students and teachers from France, Croatia, Turkey, Portugal and the hosts Greeks participated in a mobility in the Greek city of Xanthi.

Xanthi is a city located at the foot of the Rhodope Mountains, at the crossroads of the Aegean and Black Seas, Europe and Asia. The Kosynthos River divides the city into a western part as a combination of modern and old, and an eastern part that boasts a rich natural environment.

The paved streets of the old town show the synergy of local and Ottoman architecture, as well as the architectural style of Greek neoclassicism.

With the aim of exchanging experiences and intercultural interaction, teachers and students had the opportunity to get to know each other through a series of planned activities from 13 to 19 March 2022.

After the reception with the mayor, the hosts prepared a welcome program at the school on the first day. By visiting the city museum with expert guidance, we learned something about the history of the city, the past related to tobacco production and visited the House of Shadows and got to know the work of a local artist.

The rich program continued the next day by going to the cave Alistrati. The Philippi Archaeological Site and the ancient theater left us breathless. We ended the day with a tour of the city of Kavala and a visit to the Orthodox nunnery of Panagia.

Going to Lake Vistonida, we are acquainted with the fact that 227 species of birds live in the lagoon of the same name. We were able to see some of the birds with the help of special telescopic equipment.

We got an insight into the life of the ancient Greeks and numerous preserved ancient objects in the museum and archeological site of Avdir.

We experienced the rich nature of the river Nestos with outdoor activities and tasks. Our gathering in Greece ends with a dinner with the awarding of certificates to the participants and a music workshop on the last day.

As part of the final workshop, our students demonstrated their musical skills with Greek traditional song and dance.