The Laboratory Center of Katerini (Economics and Informatics sectors) within the framework of the approved European Erasmus+ KA1 program entitled "Training and acquisition of skills in international supply chains" organized and implemented an educational trip to Barcelona, ​​Spain.

In the program, which lasted from 31/03/2025 to 14/04/2025, 24 students (12 from each sector) as well as accompanying teachers from the respective sectors were moved. It should be noted that for the first time in Pieria, under the supervision of the Laboratory Center of Katerini, students from different school units (PEPAL Katerini - 2nd EPAL Katerini) participated in the program.

During the program, the students attended the following educational and cultural activities, approaching each specialty from its own perspective during each visit:

• A visit was made to the 3 cat tv television station where the participants were given a tour of the studios where popular shows and news bulletins are filmed. They had the opportunity to see how the direction, lighting, sets and graphics work during a show. The method of editing and editing shows and series was demonstrated, as well as monitoring the operations carried out in the control room during the program flow. Various technologies used in the production and transmission of content were also presented. At the same time, they were informed about the history of the station and its role in the cultural culture of Catalonia.
• The participants visited the Freixenet winery in the village of Sant Sadurny de Anoia, located on the outskirts of Barcelona. The visit began with a brief presentation of the company's history, followed by a tour of the historic cellars that reach up to 16 meters below ground, where reports were made on the various categories of grapes and the production process of cava (Spanish sparkling wine).
  In the same village, a visit was made to the Simon Coll chocolate factory. The visit began with a panoramic presentation of the history of cocoa and the chocolate production process from the fruit to the final product, followed by a visit to the traditional workshop, observation of the production line, and chocolate tasting.
• Guided tour of the port of Barcelona, ​​a boat ride, and a visit to the areas where the products are transported. The port is one of the most important commercial and tourist hubs in the Mediterranean and Europe, due to its strategic location, with a decisive contribution to the economy of Catalonia and Spain as a whole.
• Visit the Barcelona Maritime Museum, located in the old royal shipyards, a 13th-century Gothic complex that focuses on the rich maritime history of Catalonia and the Mediterranean.
• Visit the Barcelona Archaeological Museum, located on the hill of Montjuic and focusing on the history of Catalonia and the Iberian Peninsula.
• Tour the Cuitadella Park in the historic center of Barcelona. It is one of the most emblematic and historic green spaces and an ideal destination for relaxation, walks and cultural exploration. Impressive fountains with statues and waterfalls, a lake with boats, mammoth statues and much more create a unique setting.
• Visit CosmoCaixa, which is Barcelona's science museum. It offers interactive activities that encourage exploration through touch and observation.
• Tour of the historic center of Barcelona, ​​Plaza Catalonia, Gothic Quarter, Cathedral of Saint Eustace, walk along the main pedestrian street La Rambla, as well as a first contact with the works of the famous architect Gaudí Casa Batllo, Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila.
• Walk in Barceloneta, the statue of Columbus and all the modern buildings built for the Olympic Games.

The 2nd week's program of activities began with the Transbordador Aeri del Port cable car. The fascinating attraction, which hovers high above the city's busy port, the Barcelona World Trade Center in Catalonia.

• Eurecat: Eurecat is the main technological center in Catalonia and one of the largest private research organizations in southern Europe. It specializes in technological sectors such as Industrial, Digital, Biotechnology, and Sustainability, combined with technological innovation. The students learned about some of the 230 patents created at Eurecat on behalf of major private and public interest industries.
• LA FAGEDA: The gardening service, dairy cattle breeding, the manufacture of dairy products, ice cream and jams, the Visitors Service are the business activities of the organization that provides jobs and healthcare services to people with intellectual disabilities, mental disorders or people at risk of exclusion.
• GIRONA: visit to the historic city of Girona or Girona, the largest and most prosperous city in the province of Catalonia. Magnificent churches, ancient palaces and the magic of the Middle Ages are a tourist attraction, as well as the Girona Cathedral "came to life" during the filming of the GAME OF THRONES series.
• Besalú is a city in Catalonia, classified as a historical national property in 1966. The main historical features of the city are the bridge at the entrance, the arched streets and squares, the ruins of a medieval synagogue located in the lower town.
• Acta Voraport: Training on the topic: "Sustainable Tourism and Sustainable Logistics in Tourism". The hotel that hosted us is a living example! It operates on the basis of sustainable development with almost zero energy facilities and using renewable energy sources, environmentally friendly materials, water saving, waste recycling.
• La Aquarium de Barcelona: Impressive aquarium that presents the biodiversity of the Mediterranean marine ecosystem. The tunnel of over 80 meters where we met many species of sharks is impressive.
• Estrella Damm: visit to the Estrella Damm Brewery facilities. Students and teachers were given a tour of the brewery facilities and the kitchen, the fermentation tank and the cellars, the bottling, storage and transport process as it is exported almost all over the world!
• Advanced Manufacture: Exhibition with the participation of many industries and businesses that promote and support energy sustainability, the circular economy, the digitalization of factories, robotics and automation.
• Poble Espanyol: A place that combines the architecture and cultural essence of Spain.
• National Art Museum of Catalonia-MNAC: we admired the best collection of Romanesque frescoes in the world, wonderful works by the masters of Catalan modernism, the European Renaissance and the Baroque.
• Picasso Museum: exhibition with many of the works forming a permanent collection from the series of works of the blue period created by Picasso.
• Park Guell: One of the most important works of Antoni Gaudí with colorful mosaic art, such as the Dragon's Staircase with the world-famous salamander.

 During the program, our students, together with their accompanying teachers and in collaboration with the host institution that was at every moment next to the participants, following a dense and demanding program, had the opportunity to carry out educational and cultural visits and actions related to the topics of the program. Spain and specifically Barcelona, ​​is a top tourist destination while at the same time it has many innovations to present in the business world. Through the educational and cultural visits, the students understood the concept of good practices at a business and social level and gained experiences that will help them become active European citizens.

Αναδημοσίευση: Ολύμπιο Βήμα, Κάπα News, ΔΙΔΕ Πιερίας, Pieria News,