A Day at the Monastery of Alcobaça

Olá a todos! Aqui é a Anita.

Last week I had the pleasure of spending a very special day with some of my students in Alcobaça. Our destination was the Monastery of Alcobaça, one of Portugal's 7 Wonders. If you ever visit this region, it is definitely a place you should not miss.

The idea of this trip was to practice Portuguese together while discovering a bit more about Portuguese history and culture. We had a wonderful guide, Alberta, who explained everything we needed to know about the monastery’s past (she even translated the complex historical terms for the beginner students to understand!).

We definitely learned a lot during the visit. One of the things that surprised many of us was learning about the workers who built parts of the monastery. Each of them carved small symbols into the stones to mark their work, just like signatures. Some of them even looked a bit like Egyptian hieroglyphs!

Of course, we also heard the famous love story of Dom Pedro and Dona Inês, one of the most dramatic stories in Portuguese history. Their tombs are inside the church, which is truly majestic and beautiful.

What I loved most about this day was seeing my students learning together. Some were beginners, some more advanced. The advanced students were able to interact fluently with the guide in Portuguese, which was incredibly motivating for the beginners.

After the visit we had lunch together and enjoyed a lovely afternoon. Days like this remind me that language is not just something we study, it’s something we live.

Hope to see you on the next day trip! 🧡