Birds, boats and cheers

Olá!

We woke up this morning to the sound of waves crashing on the shore and a beautiful, bright sun shining outside anticipating our voyage on the lagoon today! Each morning we like to warm up with a little activity to get the blood moving, and today one of our fearless leaders, Teryn, challenged us to spell out "Portugal 2017!" The students caught on quick and got to spend some extra time on the beach before hopping on the bus for Aveiro. 

Here in Aveiro we boarded a cultural treasure, a historical boat crafted in 1945 that was tasked with ferrying local men to work out in the water each day. Our biology professor lead discussion and a guided bird watching as students discovered popular species and even saw flamingos! We were able to view and compare different habitats along the coastline while listening to traditional "Fado," Portuguese folk music.

We stopped briefly to observe a local lighthouse and returned to the water with a few additions! We spent the rest of our boat ride with a high school natural biology camp from the local university. It was a hilarious ride as we realized how many similarities we had and hyped each other up with applause and cheers. 

 (Photo credit for this shot goes to our own Lois Wu)

Here we are with our boat and crew! What a fantastic afternoon exploring estuaries and local heritage.

Até logo!