presents

October 2011

Hi everyone! We are a nice school with friendly people so you can make lots of friends here!

Join us on a virtual trip!

Lisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal. About 2,831,000 people live in the Lisbon Metropolitan area. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, outdating other modern European capitals such as London, Paris and Rome by hundreds of years. According to legend, Lisbon was founded and named by Ulysses as Ulissipo or Olissopo, which has its origins in the Phoenician words for "enchanting port".

Let's go on a short sightseeing tour!

It’s a monument to Portugal's Age of Discovery, often serving as a symbol of our country.

It was built in 1515 as a fortress to guard the entrance to Lisbon's harbor and it was the starting point for many of the voyages of discovery.

UNESCO has listed it as a World Heritage monument.

It was built in 1502 on the site where Vasco da Gama and his crew spent their last night in Portugal in prayer before leaving for India. It exemplifies Portuguese art at its best and was declared a World Heritage monument by UNESCO.

It was built in 1960 to honor the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator. It´s designed in the shape of a caravel, on which many heroes of Portuguese history are shown.

Built in the 18th century , this aqueduct served to supply water to the city.

Our school is on the south bank of the river

Tagus (in Portuguese, Tejo), between the

cities of and , so…

Let’s cross the bridge!

our school

25 de Abril Bridge is a suspension bridge connecting the cities of Lisbon and Almada.

It was inaugurated in 1966 and a train platform was added in 1999.

Because of its similar coloring, it is often compared to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA.

Three giants.

Cristo Rei

Queen Mary

Almada has around 170,000 inhabitants. In ancient times, it was a crossroads of many peoples (Phoenicians, Roman and Muslim) who traded along the Tagus.

While the 25 de Abril Bridge is routinely traversed by car, train, and other vehicles. Ferry boats transport visitors and local residents across the Tagus every 15 minutes.

Cristo Rei is the most important symbol of Almada. This monument to Christ was built in 1959 in thanks to God for having spared Portugal during World War II.

It offers a magnificent panoramic view over Lisbon and the Tagus.

This is the third biggest shopping center in Portugal and in the Iberian Peninsula.

It opened in 2002 and won the award Best Shopping Center of the World 2004.

With 30 kilometres of sand, sea and sky, Costa da Caparica is Europe’s largest beach.

The backdrop to the beach is the protected landscape of a fossil cliff.

beach

fossil cliff

Costa da Caparica area is also home to a small but resilient fishing

community.

traditional fishing boat

Sorting out the catch

Our area belongs to the municipality of Seixal, which has a population of around 175,000 inhabitants.

The name "Seixal" comes from a type of smooth stone (seixo) that is found in rivers, so the city is named after these stones.

Seixal bay was for several centuries an important location for naval construction and repair, with several shipyards working along its shores.

At Expansion time, this was an important area for the supply of various goods to Lisbon. It was also here that the caravels in which Vasco da Gama sailed on the sea route to India were built.

One of the symbols of Seixal are its traditional boats with ornamental details, called seagulls.

Nowadays the naval repair industry is dead. Many abandoned wrecks and unfinished ships can be observed.

Hunting for crabs

In recent years flamingos have become a common presence in the bay.

a flamingo colony

Their first appeared here in 1998 following an improvement in the environmental conditions and ecosystem of the bay.

Tide mills are another important symbol of Seixal.

A tide mill is a water mill that derives its power from the rise and fall of the tides.

In Seixal, there are still 10 mills that show the intense flour production activity that began in the 15th century.

our school

And last but not least, we arrive to

our school.

Come inside, please!

Using the electronic card to check in.

Our school is 12 km away from the city of Lisbon and only 5 km from the beautiful beaches bathed by the Atlantic Ocean. It is called “Vale de Milhaços”, which is also the name of this area in the municipality, and has around 1000 students, ranging from 9 to 15 years old. It celebrates its 25th anniversary this school year.

Welcome to our school!

And now, as we are close to the beach…

do you want to grab a swim?

We’re waiting for you!