In the period from 25 June to 3 July 2021, we were on the project “Digital Gym” in Xativa, a small town in eastern Spain. Before the trip, we had to check several times if we had all the necessary documents given the epidemiological situation. In addition to the vaccination, we had to show a negative antigen test before crossing the border. The non-stop plane trip went smoothly. The day of landing in Madrid was the last day of the obligatory wearing of masks in the open, which made us quite happy, mainly due to the inevitable summer heat. We travelled by train to Valencia for two hours and from there we headed sharply for the train to Xativa. There we were greeted by our hosts and taken to the accommodation where we met the other participants and finally ate a hot meal.
In the beginning, we didn’t know what to expect from the “Digital Gym” project. We assumed we would exercise a lot and wake up with a military drill, but in reality, it was something quite the opposite. The project was based on activities that connect the digital world and the world of sports. We first discussed the situation in our own countries where we proudly mentioned modern gyms in Croatia. In groups, we thought about all the occupations needed when opening a gym and tried to think of ways to include our own professions in the business. We exercised in the pool, but also in the field where we were introduced to environmentally conscious materials and exercise equipment. We were most impressed by the activity in which we played basketball for people with motor disabilities and football for blind people. We meditated, talked about food and nutritional values, danced, and got to know online sports, all backed up with fun videos. In our free time, we enjoyed the pool every day or went on trips to Valencia and Xativa.
Evenings were reserved for ‘cultural nights’ where we got to know each other better, but also tried various specialities from Italy, Serbia, Romania and Spain. Also, two girls out of four of us had a birthday during the project so we also organized a birthday party with many sweet surprises for the birthday girls.
In Xativa, the most interesting thing for us was going to the castle. Although the trip was quite long and it was terribly hot that day, it was worth the climb.
As for the trip to Valencia, we were all equally thrilled with the city. Valencia is full of cafes, restaurants, museums, parks, and we really enjoyed spending the day there. Everyone could choose what they wanted to do in their free time and dedicate themselves to the things that interested them. We visited the Oceanografic (the biggest aquarium in Europe), the Science Museum, the main market and of course, a bunch of shops where we did some shopping for our dearest. After the project, we decided to stay another day in Valencia to visit things we didn’t see for the first time and then extended to Madrid where we stayed for another two days. None of us has been to Madrid so far so we were very excited. The city is exactly as we imagined it; full of parks, museums, stunning buildings, statues, museums, and there is something interesting on every corner. We would definitely come back one more time if given the chance.
Project “Digital Gym” gathered 25 participants from Croatia, Italy, Serbia, Romania and Spain and it was organized by CLUB DEPORTIVO CHAÑE (Spain) in cooperation with Association Strive! (Croatia) and co-financed by Erasmus plus.
Participants: Lidija Krznar, Ivona Kapša, Jelena Novaković and Ena Raković
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