Each participant of the 5-day Erasmusplus meeting in Zlate Moravce, Slovakia took nearly 70,000 steps, equivalent to over 30 kilometers. This aligned with the second meeting of the Erasmusplus project "Peace Desire and Peacekeeping / Desire for Peace", focusing on the subtopic of peace and sport. Sports teacher Ludmila, in collaboration with the Slovakian Olympic Committee, organized exciting Olympic Games. Four teams from Munich, Lesbos, Slovakia and Bolzano (Classical High School "Walther von der Vogelweide") competed not against each other, but with each other. The games commenced with a torch relay and the entry of the flag bearers carrying the Olympic flag. Then, entertaining sports games were organized in various transnational teams, and the winning team was determined. Subsequently, peace flags were created in the various teams and hoisted on the last day of the meeting at Hrušov Castle. The large flag, stitched together, will be displayed at the next meeting hosted by the respective school, and then passed on to the subsequent school. We were thrilled by the countless ideas of the Slovakian school, which planned and carried out the meeting through excellent collaboration between teachers and students. They demonstrated a wealth of creativity, wit, and methodical and organizational skills, coupled with hospitality that is rarely encountered today. The mayor of the city with 12,000 inhabitants did not miss the opportunity to welcome the guests personally at a small ceremony, providing insight into the city’s history. We gained knowledge about a small Central European state, about the partition and other significant historical, social and economic transformations in recent decades. We visited the cities of Bratislava and Nitra and learnt about their distinctive features and explored the small, yet charmingly original, Olympic Museum in Bratislava. Together with experts, we practiced fair play, reflected upon it and engaged in discussions about doping. We have experienced many moments together, we have generated something together and we will carry with us something of the unique atmosphere that, thanks to the financial support from the European Union, brought students from different countries, with different languages and experiences together, allowed them to grow together and strive for common goals. This experience has imbued us with hope for diverse opportunities for joint peaceful endeavors in a world experiencing challenging times.
The contacts forged in Zlate Moravce will endure.