Our adventure began on December 3 – group mobility of seniors to Sweden carried out as part of the “Senior open to the world” project no. 2022-1-PL01-KA122-ADU-000071920.

In the morning we all took a bus from Opole to the airport in Katowice, from which we flew to Copenhagen at 6:00. The carrier picked us up there and we all went to the hotel in Malmö. The road was amazing, because both cities are separated by the Baltic Sea, crossed by the Oresund Bridge – so the views were fabulous, and the enthusiasm of the seniors compensated for the tiredness after the journey.

After reaching the hotel, a coordinator was waiting for us and provided everyone with basic information about mobility. Then we all ate breakfast and had some time to ourselves. After we had some rest after the journey, we went for a walk around the center of Malmö, where there was a Christmas market, which everyone really liked. After the walk, we returned to the hotel and rested the rest of the day after the trip, eagerly awaiting the next day.

We started the second day of our adventure with breakfast at the hotel and getting ready for the day.

At 10:00 a.m. we left the hotel and walked towards the organizational meeting with the EU Mobility Foundation, where refreshments were waiting for us. The meeting didn’t last long, because a moment later we were scheduled to go to one of the Senior Homes in Malmö. There was a conversation with the project coordinator, who talked about what opportunities seniors have in Malmö. We all listened with admiration about how many opportunities to spend time seniors have in this city. One of the interesting facts was that in Malmö alone there are as many as 14 meeting houses for seniors, and a total of 8,000 seniors aged 67 to 100 come to all of them every month.

After talking to the coordinator, we all went to play curling. It was something new for us, so we all had to learn the rules and scoring, which fortunately were very simple. We were divided into four groups of two and played among ourselves – one group against the other. Everyone had positive emotions during the game because there was a lot of fun, laughter and healthy competition. The game was a success for everyone, because it didn’t matter who won, but how much fun it gave everyone.

After leaving the Senior Home, we took a bus towards the hotel, where we went to pick up unnecessary things, and then continued our journey by bus – this time towards the sea. We got off at the stop next to the tallest building in Malmö, which has 54 floors, and then we went towards the sea for a short walk with a beautiful view, during which we took a lot of souvenir photos. When it started to get dark, we returned to the hotel for dinner and got ready for another day full of attractions.

We started the third day lazily, because we started with breakfast and free time where everyone could rest and do whatever they wanted in the hotel. Only at 12 o’clock did we set off by bus to another Senior Home in Malmö, where, together with seniors from Sweden, we ate lunch, which was served on site. Everyone wanted to try the delicacies that seniors eat in Malmö, so we tried to make everyone try at least a little of each dish. After lunch, it was time for a concert during which we admired the musical talent of one of the seniors. After the performance, we decided to walk back to the hotel and visit a few new places, such as the castle in Malmö, where we took photos; a Protestant church with preserved paintings from over 300 years ago.

Then returning to the hotel, a moment of rest and a tasty dinner, we decided to go for another walk, admiring the places we had already visited during the previous days. It was a good day.

On the fourth day of mobility, we were scheduled to go to Copenhagen. After breakfast, we met in the hotel lobby and then went to the train station to take the train to Copenhagen. It was something new for everyone because no one had ever had the opportunity to take a train from Sweden to Denmark before. When we got to Copenhagen airport, we changed to the city metro to get to the city center – it turned out that the metro in Denmark is extremely automated, because there is no driver inside – everyone was positively surprised.

When we got off in the city center, we admired the Main Railway Station, which, as it turned out, had not been modified in any way since its construction. Then we went for a walk to the most popular street in Copenhagen, where there are many exclusive shops, but not only that. You could also buy souvenirs there that we couldn’t pass up. We went to a large fair, where we took a short break to see what the local Christmas markets look like. Then we went to a cafe to warm up and drink delicious coffee and tea. After a good rest, we all went to the Nyhavn Canal to admire the colorful houses typical of Copenhagen. These houses turned out to be incredibly picturesque and delighted everyone with their uniqueness. There were plenty of restaurants and bars along the canal where local residents and tourists could relax from the hustle and bustle of the city.

We then walked past the theater and one of the largest opera houses in the world, whose roof is partly made of gold! We also saw a beautiful square with four palaces, where the royal family lives in one of them for the winter. As we stood there, we witnessed the changing of the guard. We also went to a beautiful church, made of marble, which took about 150 years to build! After visiting the church and the buildings around it, we decided to take the metro back to Copenhagen airport and then take the train back to our hotel in Malmo. We spent the rest of the day at the hotel resting – it was a long but interesting day!

The fifth day of mobility was the penultimate day we spent in Sweden.

At noon we took a bus to one of the Senior Homes in Malmö, which we had not been to before. When we arrived, everyone was asked to sit on chairs and start preparing for yoga and meditation classes. So we did – relaxing music was turned on, which put everyone into a state of relaxation, and then we started gentle stretching classes prepared especially for seniors. After yoga, it was time for breathing exercises and meditation.

When we finished the relaxation section, it was time for Fika – this is how we call it a coffee break with refreshments in Sweden. While we were talking among ourselves, one of the Seniors approached us, who – as it turned out – came from Poland. The conversation with her was endless! She told us interesting facts about Sweden and how Malmö has changed over the years and what life there looks like from a senior’s perspective. Then we went as a group to one of the museums in Malmö, where we admired old cars, planes and ships, and also used the interactive part where each of us tried different devices – there was a lot of fun and laughter. After visiting the museum, we returned to the hotel for dinner in anticipation of the next day.

Day six was the last day of senior mobility in Sweden. We had time until 11 a.m. to eat breakfast and get ready to go to visit the host organization at the end of our visit. A delicious treat awaited us there! We enjoyed our last moments in Malmö, spending time together over coffee and sweets, and then it was time to hand out certificates to all participants and raise a toast to this wonderful time.

We had 2 hours left to go to the airport, so we decided to spend this time productively and buy some last souvenirs. Then we went to the hotel to collect our luggage, which we had previously left there, and went to the railway station to go to the airport, from which we returned directly to Poland.

It was a great time that none of the participants will ever forget.

We started the adventure in the form of group mobility to beautiful Valencia on October 1, 2023. starting with a flight from Krakow to Alicante. Due to the very early hour of the flight, we had the opportunity to admire a beautiful sunrise through the plane windows, at an altitude of about 12 km above the Earth’s surface. Our seniors were delighted with this unusual view.

After landing at the airport in Alicante, a delegation from the ESMOVIA organization was waiting for us, which, as a partner of the “Senior open to the World” project No. 2022-1-PL01-KA122-ADU-000071920, was a co-organizer of the mobility. Representatives of the organization took all participants to the hotel. There we had a lot of time to unpack, rest after the journey, eat lunch and prepare for the introductory trip to Valencia. And so, late in the evening, together with the nice Mrs. Aleksandra from the ESMOVIA organization, we went for a walk through the streets of a charming city in central-eastern Spain. A place visited by seniors that will probably stay in their memory for a long time is the main market located in the old part of the city. This place delights with the richness of colors, flavors and aromas of Mediterranean cuisine. Walking between the stands, seniors were full of admiration for the modernist architecture and the extraordinary usefulness of this place. In addition to memories, the participants also took away a lot of souvenirs purchased at the market.

On the second day, immediately after a tasty breakfast, the entire group of project participants went to the headquarters of the organization hosting us in Valencia. After a tour of the office, the employees invited us to the conference room to tell us over coffee and tea what ESMOVIA does and about the life and customs of the Spanish inhabitants of Valencia. After the meeting, we went to the city to continue sightseeing and then go to the next place included in our mobility schedule, i.e. CENTRO FORMACIÓN DE PERSONAS ADULTAS L’ALGUER (Public Adult Training Center in Alguer). There, our seniors learned about the specifics of the Training Center and took part in a small Spanish language course. Each of the seniors was happy with the opportunity to learn a new language and learn basic phrases that they could use during this mobility.

On the third day, early in the morning, we went to a nearby park to meet Kelsie Kerwin, who led workshops for the project participants focusing on freeing themselves from the rush of thoughts and focusing on the connection with nature, as well as manual works that allowed us to focus on the here and now. To feel a bond with Mother Earth, our seniors performed all the exercises during the workshops barefoot. According to the seniors, it was a very interesting experience that made them reflect and encouraged them to continue such activities after returning to Poland. Relaxed and united with nature, we went to the Oceanographic Museum in the City of Arts and Sciences, the largest aquarium in Europe, home to marine animal species from all over the world. The sight of these amazing animals such as: penguins, walruses, turtles, jellyfish, sharks and rays was captivating. An additional attraction we had the opportunity to see was a dolphin show, which we will definitely tell all our friends about many times.